Victory
by Rainbowhawk1993
Summary: The war is over. The Reapers are destroyed. The galaxy is free. Now after years of fighting and making a difficult final choice, John Shepard awakens to see what the future holds for the galaxy he fought for and what the future holds for him and the one he loves. Post ME3. MaleShep/Liara. (Rated M for intimate descriptions) [Update: Chapter 16 posted and chapters 1-15 adjusted.]
1. Chapter 1

_The paths are open. But you have to choose._

* * *

This was it. The final step. The key to end it all.

John Shepard looked up at the beam that emanated from the Crucible. After all the hard work, all the twists and turns, seeing all the horrid images of pain, agony and hardship, the key to stop the Reapers was in front of him. All that he needed to do was activate it.

The blue prints of the Crucible spoke of something called the Catalyst. It was said to be the key component in activating the device once it was completed. What exactly the Crucible would do was anyone's guess. Most, like him, hoped that it would destroy the Reapers once and for all. With the plans in hand, Hackett and the rest of the Alliance fleets got to work decrypting the blue prints and got to work building it.

As war raged across the Galaxy, Shepard got his crew back together and travelled across the stars to rally allies to fight the Reapers together. The century-old feuds between many of the species made things very hard for everyone to get along though. But he, John Shepard, managed to pull off so many unbelievable feats to get nearly every specie in the galactic community to fight the Reapers as one.

He never cut corners when it wasn't necessary. When the Dalatrass tried to talk Shepard out of curing the Genophage in exchange for their fleets and their best scientists to build the Crucible, Shepard refused. He did what he did because it was the right thing to do and it would benefit everyone in the long run. Even with the Dalatrass's disappointment and refusal of giving support, some of the Salarians still came to fight alongside the Alliance after the failed Cerberus coup of the council. With the coup, the eyes of the populace of the Citadel were opened to the severity of the war. The populace got to work in helping with the war effort and the Asari and Salarians, even with the disappointment of the Genophage cure, started giving their support for the war effort.

With the Turians, Krogan, Asari, Salarians, Drell, Hannar, Volus, Vorcha, Elcor, and even the Rachnii and Batarians in the bunch, what was next were the Quiarians. Getting their help came at the worst possible time when they got embroiled in conflict with their creations that drove them off of their homeworld so long ago. But in the end, Shepard managed to not only save the Quairians from their own destruction, but he freed the Geth from the Reaper that had controlled them. In the end, Rannoch was not only reclaimed, but the creators and their creations finally were able to make peace with each other. And both the Quairians and geth offered their fleets and engineers. A major gain for the war effort.

With every specie in every corner of the galaxy fighting together, all that mattered now was to figure out what and where the Catalyst was so the Crucible could do whatever it would do. The Asari councilor gave Shepard a potential lead that could help them find it. The secret that the Asari kept hidden was one of their most sacred temples. With the Reapers baring down on the Thessia, Shepard and his crew rushed to the temple and discovered what the secret was. A Prothean beacon. In this one was a functional VI who contained the knowledge of what the catalyst was. But before the VI could say what it was, it was stolen right under Shepard's nose by the agent of the Illusive Man. At the end of that day, Shepard had failed and Thessia had fallen.

But after tracking down where the bastard went with the VI, and after a time to sit down and enjoy an, at first, upside down shore leave, Shepard and his crew followed the assassin to the heart of Cerberus itself. Once there, Shepard fought to the center of the station and found the VI and it's thief. Shepard faced against him and this time he slew him with and Omni-blade right to the heart. With station now out of action, Cerberus was no longer functional.

He retrieved the VI and it told them what the Catalyst was: the Citadel. It was then that the reports came in that the Reapers had just taken over the station and they somehow moved the entire structure to Sol.

Earth.

After leaving his homeworld behind, Shepard was coming back. All the people he was ordered to leave, he was coming back to them. It was at Earth that the final battle would be fought. He and every specie would fight harder than any one of them had ever before. They would all be fighting not for their own people, but for every race that stood beside them. Every man, women and child of every civilization on every world was counting on them every soul.

Shepard led the tip of the spear. After all the falters and the heavy casualties they took both in orbit and on the ground, they were within a hundred yards of the beam that lead to the closed Citadel. They charged as hard as they could. They fell one by one until none stood. The assault failed.

But somehow, someway, Shepard was still alive, but only just. Burned and battered, he grabbed his Carnifex and, with whatever will and strength he had left, limped his way to the beam. He made it to the beam and arrived inside the structure. There he saw what the Reapers were doing. Gathering the humans on the planet and sending them up to be processed. They were planning to make another Reaper after he destroyed the one still in development at the Collector base.

Shepard heard Anderson calling him on the radio. He followed him up but they were in different places. Shepard moved down the corridor and met up with him. But they were met by an uninvited guest. The Illusive man. Shepard saw the man's face peeling away to show a twisted bionic face that only showed hunger for power hunger. He had an influence over both men. Shepard could feel the darkness slithering in his body causing him to be bent to the mad man's will like a puppet. But Shepard used the one weapon the Illusive man couldn't control, his tongue. The battle of words started and it escalated quickly until the Illusive man forced Shepard to put a round into Anderson's torso. Shepard felt the pang of guilt from seeing Anderson's face but he had to shrug it off until he somehow stopped the crazy man. And in the end, Shepard did stop him. Like what he did to Saren, he managed to convince the Illusive man that what he was doing was not his own motive but the Reapers'. At that moment, he took Anderson's side arm and put the round into his head.

Now free from the dark hand that held him, Shepard limped to the counsel and activated it. He watched the arms of the Citadel open and he saw Alliance cruisers escorting the Crucible on it's path. He walked back to where Anderson had fallen. He sat down beside him. Together they looked out to the beautiful scene of Earth itself. Humanity's home. His home.

In his last moments, Anderson told him the words that meant everything to Shepard.

"I'm proud of you."

All that had to be done now was to activate the Crucible. When Shepard passed out, he found himself here, the point where the crucible could be used. And it was here where he met the Catalyst itself: the intelligence that controlled the Reapers. The intelligence the ancient Leviathan had created millions of years ago to solve the problem of the conflict between synthetics and organics. The solution it came up with was the creation of the Reapers. Leviathan was the first race that was harvested. The harvests then repeated every cycle. The advanced civilizations who used the Mass Relays were all hunted down and harvested until non remained so they wouldn't create synthetics that would not only destroy their creators, but all other organic life. For millions of years, it had happen again and again.

But now, the tide had turned. Shepard had beaten the odds and altered the variables to bring the people of this cycle closer to defeating the Reapers than any cycle had before. Now that he was here, the Crucible could now be activated and the war would end. But only if Shepard activated it himself.

This was it. Shepard looked up at the three options to activate the Crucible. He limped forward toward the three-way fork in the road that lead to each one.

He looked up to his right. The choice on that side was the option that every specie, both in this cycle and the previous cycles, had been searching for: a way to destroy that Reapers. The Reapers would be no more and the galaxy would be free. But this choice would come at a cost. The blast from the Crucible would surge through the galaxy but the Reapers would not be the only ones who would be destroyed. Every synthetic being would be targeted and they would die with the Reapers. The Geth, who Shepard had fought so hard for to free them from the Reapers' influence and get the Quairens and the other species to accept them as allies in the conflict, would all die. EDI, the Artificial Intelligence of the Normandy SR-2 who contributed invaluably to the suicide mission against the Collectors and against the Reapers, would be erased. It would be a very terrible cost to pay.

Shepard looked up ahead at the beam that streamed down from the Crucible. It was the "Ideal solution" as told by the Catalyst itself. By throwing himself into the beam, his energy would cause a chain reaction that would cause the Crucible to alter every life form in the galaxy. Because of his synthetic implants that were given to him during his reconstruction, the energy of his body would somehow merge both synthetic and organic life together into a supposable new DNA. The Catalyst said it was the ideal solution because it would give a solution that it had been looking for. By merging both forms of life, organics would gain the perfection through technology they had always been striving for. Synthetics, in turn, would gain full understanding of organics. It would mean that peace between organics and synthetics would happen indefinably. The Reapers would also cease the harvest and all the harvested civilizations before the Protheans that were preserved inside them would be connected to everyone. Vaults of knowledge would be unlocked for everyone to explore and integrate into a new society.

He looked over to his left. The last option was the option that he didn't think was possible until now. It was the option to control the Reapers. The Illusive Man had told him to win the war, controlling the Reapers was the solution. But Shepard and all the others that fought beside him disregarded it as a twisted and insane idea that was impossible to achieve. But the Illusive man and Cerberus pursued this goal indefinably. He said he was doing what he did ever since he created Cerberus to bring humanity to the apex of evolution. To dominate the galaxy. But all he did was give humanity a worse name to the other races while inflicting horrible pain on his own species. The Cerberus facility on Horizon was proof of that. It turned out in the end, he was indoctrinated just like the other species who wanted to control the reapers in the cycles before.

But Shepard himself, no one else, could control the Reapers if he activated the crucible this way. He could end the war and he would be able to save EDI and the Geth from destruction. He would lose his body but his mind would live on and he would see what the Reapers saw. Instead of having the Reapers continue their harvest, he could direct them to rebuild what they destroyed. Perhaps he could even use them to help the races expand out to the stars and protect them when threats arose in the future. It would be a gain for the galaxy with the advanced technology that the Reapers used without altering the very DNA of every specie.

Shepard came to the three-way fork in the platform. It was time to choose how the war would be ended and choose the future for the Galaxy. Shepard looked up at the three paths, shifting his gaze to each choice again and again. He did so until he locked his gaze on one of the choices. He moved his foot to the left. But the other foot stayed where it was. He bent his head down and tightened his fist and his grip on his Carnifex. He turned around and proceeded up the right ramp. Once he reached the top, he turned toward the power conduit at the end of it. All that had to be done was to destroy it with a few shots from his side arm and the Crucible would be primed and fire**. **With the rest of his strength, he brought up his Carnifex and aimed it at the conduit**.** After everything he fought through, all the hardships and battles, after all the painful choices and sacrifices he had to make, it was finally down to this.

He squeezed his finger on the trigger. The round left the gun and impacted the glass casing. He readjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger again. Again and again he sent the rounds into the coupling. He stood straighter as he walked closer and closer to make sure the rounds hit it in the right spot. The casing was broken and the last rounds in the extended clip broke into the coupling causing a violent break in the structure. He popped the used clip out and inserted the last one he had. Another and another came out of his gun until the damaged conduit was overloading with the energy seeping out of it. One final round would do it. He adjusted himself to deliver the final blow. Before he did, he thought of the one person he wished he could talk to before it was done. He wanted so badly to tell her that he was sorry for breaking his promise and to tell her how much he loved her.

"I love you Liara." Shepard whispered. He closed his eyes...

...and pulled the trigger.


	2. Chapter 2

Liara sat back in her chair looking down at the dark metal floor beneath her. Her thumb twitched on the hand that held her other arm. They were on their way to Ilos. There they would face off against Saran one final time to stop his evil scheme to bring back the Reapers.

In the short time she was aboard the Normandy, she grew close to the Commander. Seeing him fight in battle showed her his strong will and dedication to get the job done. But the thing about him that stood out the most to her was his commitment to do the right thing. To make peace when he could and try to save the most amount of lives in the process.

But she didn't understand why she felt this way. How could she have grown close to a person who she had only know for several weeks let alone a person of a different species? Even when she told him that she was attracted to him, she told him it didn't make sense to her.

Maybe that was the true value of the Asari philosophy to mate with other species. It wasn't only to have the Asari daughters inherent unique new genetics. It was to find the best things within each species to share for generations later. Humans were seen as impulsive and violent most of the time. But so many, like Shepard, had astonishing things that many people of any specie shared. Compassion, dedication, and commitment to protect the people he fights for.

She hadn't been close to anyone like this before having living her life in solitude. She hadn't been able to explore her personal feelings until now. But with the dark things happening around them, Saren, the Geth and the Reapers, she said that it wasn't the best time to explore any further.

But they were on their way to Ilos and fight their hardest to stop Saren's scheme. The Commander had led so many successful missions during her time on the Normandy where he and the squad all came back alive. But on Virmire, Shepard had to make a difficult choice to leave Ashley Williams behind to escape before the bomb they planted in Saren's lab detonated. That was what she was concerned about. If something happened on Ilos and it involved either her or the commander...

After several minutes, Liara inhaled deeply and got out of her chair.

She walk across the crew deck to the door of the Commander's quarters. She did feel nervous about what she was about to do having not done this ever in her life. But she knew that she wanted this, more than ever. If she didn't find the courage tonight, she might not be able to do it any other time. She took a deep breath and pressed door control. The door opened and she walked through. The Commander was sitting at his desk when he heard the door open. He turned his head and saw her.

"Shepard," Liara said to him. "May I speak with you?"

Shepard stood from his seat and moved toward her.

"I was just thinking about you," he said.

"I have been thinking about you too. And what we are about to face," Liara said mustering her courage.

"I do not know what is going to happen on Ilos. I hope we will stop Saren of course, but..." Liara's worries showed in her tone and the Commander to could feel it. "Some part of me fears we are already too late. There is something I must tell you, in case we fail."

"We're not going to fail, I promise," Shepard said with strong certainty.

"Please," Liara said. "I am not looking for comfort. Saren might already have the Conduit. It is time to be completely honest with each other."

Liara's heart was racing faster. This was the moment that she didn't think she would ever get to. But she was here, alone with him. It was the time to do what she wanted. She stepped closer to him.

"These could be our last moments together. Our last chance to show each other how we feel," She reached out and gently put her hand onto his shoulder."I want this to be special."

Shepard gently brought his hand to her arm. His eyes showed the desire he had for her but they also showed great concern.

"We don't have to do this," he said. "Not unless you're sure."

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life."

She ran her hands up the side of his arms to his face. He held his own on her shoulders.

"Will you join with me Shepard?" Her eyes looked deep into his. "Let out bodies and minds unite."

Hs eyes reflected back the passion and desire he had for her. He knew that Liara was really sure about going through with this. This was their moment. Right now, they would embrace it together. Shepard gave a very slow and gentle nod as he leaned his head toward her.

Her nervousness slowly evaporated as distance between their lips closed. When her lips met his, the feeling in her body was replaced with passion and it was fueled by desire. This was her first kiss, and it was something that she would never forget.

They embraced another kiss as soon as the first was finished followed by another and another. She pulled herself toward him as he brought his arm around and held her close. The warmth of his body flowed into her own. She moved her body against his feeling the shape of his muscular form. Liara wasn't experienced, but the movements she made felt natural as if she knew them all along.

The desire grew and both of them knew that they couldn't continue the way they were. They broke the last kiss and looked deep into each other's eyes before Shepard reached down and grasped the openings of her suit. Her hands followed his assisting in shedding her clothing. As the fabric of her suit slipped off her body, she felt the touch of his hands glide across her bare skin.

In a short time, she had completely shed her outer layer. All that remained was her true uncovered self. The only time she was ever like this was when she was a very young girl with her mother. This feeling of openness made herself feel venerable. But this venerable feeling made her feel strong with Shepard seeing her the way she was.

It was now time for him to shed his coverings for her. She stepped to the Commander's side and ran her hands around him finding the openings. She started with his top uniform. When she lifted it off, with his help, she observed the grooves of muscles of his torso and biceps. The way they flexed under his soft white skin stirred something in Liara's senses. Next was the lower area. She had learned of the male areas of other species including humans. She moved her hands to remove the last parts of his clothing.

Now after what seemed too long, they were no longer divided by their coverings. They came together and felt their skin touch together. She ran her hands over his soft skin with the small bits of hair that coated over it. The scent of his skin sent shocks of emotions through her. They were unusual, but it stimulated her desire to have more of him.

Shepard ran his hand down the sides of her body feeling the scaled pattern in her skin. Shepard observed the curves of her body, enjoying what he felt and saw of it. Being this close to him and feeling the shape of his body made her realize why humans were so attracted to the Asari. The way her body shaped into his made it almost a perfect fit standing together.

The restlessness of the both of them was growing every second. It was time to do what needed to be done. She looked deep into the Commander's eyes. The anticipation made their hearts beat harder and faster. She closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, the melding had begun. Her body shook as the senses of her partner's body flowed into her own. She felt his strong heart in his chest beat faster and faster. She felt the touch in Shepard's hands as they ran down the lower reaches of her body. She felt all of the senses in Shepard body as if it were her own. The only thing that was different was she saw him through her eyes.

The emotions were the ones that shook her the most. They both had the deep feelings for each other but now they felt each other's desire for one another through each other. Liara was right about what she had said, two had truly become one. She was him. He was her.

She moved around him, caressing her hand across his skin. She ran her waist down the sides of his muscular legs. She returned to his lips to embrace another deep kiss before they backtracked to the bed. Shepard crawled backwards into position while Liara followed him. Liara came down on top of his body with her eyes locked onto his. Shepard rolled both of them to the other side and brought his lips down to hers as both of them descended into a deeper trance of love and pleasure.

* * *

Liara felt herself wake up. She looked up and saw the Commander out of bed redressed. She sat up seeing the commander observe her uncovered self. She smiled. It was hard to take in what had happened. To feel the essence of another person flow into her and exploring the reaches of his body while feeling him explore her own. It was... Incredible.

"By the goddess that was incredible Shepard," She said.

"You were incredible," Shepard said with awe.

But before the conversation could continue, the intercom opened and Joker's voice spoke."Five minutes ETA to the Mu Relay."

Down time was over. "I had better go. Duty calls. You would not want to keep Joker waiting."

She put her bare feet on the floor and walked past the Commander to where she shed her suit the night before. She started slipping back into it.

"Shepard?" She looked back at him half way through her redressing. "Whatever happens on Ilos, I just wanted to say... Thank you. For everything."

Shepard grinned and nodded. She slipped the last of the suit on and walked out the door.

It was everything that she had hoped it would be. No matter what would happen on Ilos, she was happy to share this very close moment with a person that she cared about. She felt different now. A difference that made her feel more confident and much more connected to something other than facts and thoughts. She felt she was actually a grown person moving on with their life. But for now, it was time to get ready to bring down the one who was going to bring their destruction.

* * *

"Eliminate T'soni and retrieve the data," the voice of the Shadow broker said through the recording. "Civilian casualties not a concern."

Now after flying through Illum chasing Vasir and putting her down, they now had the data she stole. With the data in hand, she could now trace the transmission to its origin. The Shadow Broker was finally found and now she was going to come down on him with all of her wrath.

Shepard came through the hotel door. "Vasir's dead."

The hard as nails Spectre put up a hell of a fight even when she had lost so much blood. But she and Shepard managed to put her down along with the Shadow Broker's agents that pursued them. Liara fiddled with her Omni-tool before she began to walk down the Azure hotel's balcony while Shepard followed.

"I'm putting the data through the Normandy's computers," She said as they walked. "We can be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours. He'll know about Vasir before long. If he decides to kill Feron..."

Shepard quickly but gently grabbed her arm to stop her. "We'll get Feron out of there alive Liara. I promise."

"I know," Liara walked a few steps forward before she turned back at him. "You're here to help. Just like always."

"That's not a good thing?" Shepard crossed his arms.

"When we first met on Therum, you saved me from the geth. You fought a Krogan battlemaster while I cowered. Now you're doing it again. And I'm still leaning on you for help."

"That's what friends do, Liara."

He was right. Friends do help each other. Like how she went out to recover Shepard's body before the Broker got it first. She continued through the hotel with Shepard behind her.

"I can get us there based on Sekat's data. The Normandy's stealth drive will keep them from detecting us. The Shadow Broker's agents are still shooting their way through Illium. With luck they won't notice we've left until it's too late."

"That's a little cold," Shepard said darkly. She stopped and looked back at him again."They killed innocent people."

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?" Shepard sounded irritated when he stepped toward her and looked at her with a very stern look. "When I hit the ground back at the trade center, you went after Vasir without a backward look."

"A little fall wasn't going to kill you," Liara walked over to the nearby balcony and looked out to the flourishing lights of Illium's capital city. "I had to stay on Vasir. I had to stay rational, make the call. Like I did with Sekat."

''That's Vasir's fault, not yours." Shepard walked up next to her.

"Sekat had no idea what the stakes were. I put him in harm's way to get the data I needed. I got him killed. And I'd do it again," She pushed off the railing and continued back down to the courtyard where the taxi they drove was waiting. "But from here on out, things will be simple, get in get Feron, get out. And kill anyone who tries to stop us."

"That's it?" Shepard said.

"That's it," Liara said.

That was when Shepard stopped her one last time.

"Will you just stop for a second," She turned around to him. "We'll be jumping several light years. There's time to talk."

"About what?" She asked.

He leaned close to her.

"About us."

She knew he was going to get into this. He didn't have to endure two years of mourning the one he lost. But for her, "Us" felt so distant after living through two years of the painful memory and having to move on without him.

"Shepard listen, I'm..." Liara said uneasily. "...glad you're here."

"Are you worried there are terminals you need me to hack?"

"That's not fair!" Liara shot back. "You were dead!"

"I came back!" He replied very hard at her.

"It's not that easy! You can't just come back and have two years of mourning suddenly vanish!"

Liara closed her eyes and brought her palm to her head when the tension subsided.

"I'm sorry Shepard. I can't get into this," she looked back at him. "For now let's just focus on getting Faren back."

Shepard kept his stern stare at her for a second before he replied with a cold, "Fine." He walked past her down to the courtyard where they parked their taxi. Liara stood silent for a few seconds before she followed him.

* * *

Liara's eyes filled with tears. They had made it to the Shadow Broker's vessel and made it inside without too much trouble from the Shadow Broker's guards. They had found Feron in the prison hold in a sophisticated restraint chair that would kill him if they attempted to get him free. To free him, they would have to get up to the main room where the Shadow Broker himself was waiting to deactivate it.

After the brutal fight with the Yahg, they found the switch and turned it off. But Liara saw the screens showing the communication outlets to his contacts. They started reporting to the Broker asking what was happening. All of the Shadow Broker's contacts were there just beyond the screens. If they knew that the Broker had been compromised, they would sever their connections and they wouldn't be found again. Liara jumped in and communicated to the contacts that everything was under control. The screens returned to blue as they were before. They no longer suspected anything.

It was then that Feron walked into the room and saw what Liara was doing. She was now the new Shadow Broker. After two years of chasing the illusive criminal, she had saved her friend but she now had access to all of the Shadow Broker's secrets and resources without all of the contacts knowing that their contractor had been put under new management. It was an emotional moment for her as she broke into tears. Feron took it as a reason to excuse himself from the room.

Right now, Liara felt empty. For two years, she had pursued the Shadow Broker to the ends of the galaxy to get him for what he did to her. Now, the broker was dead, Feron was free and now she had all of the Broker's resources. Rage had kept her on this path. Now, with the path now walked, the rage was gone. But what remained?

Liara felt Shepard's hand on her shoulder. She turned to him with her eyes still glistening with tears.

"It's over," She said unable to hold back her feelings. "It's finally- for two years."

Shepard came forward and put his harms around her.

"It's alright," He said. The warmth of his embrace was very comforting. But when he pulled back and gave her a kiss, things changed.

The kiss stirred something within her. Unlike the kiss Shepard gave to her when they met in her office on Illium, this one reached down to her. With the thoughts of revenge and feelings of rage gone, she felt her deeper feelings surfacing. But after two years of knowing only anger, pain and mourning a lost friend, these feelings felt so alien to her. From this kiss, she remembered the strong feelings that Shepard had for her from two years ago. He still had those strong feelings for her now.

"It's been two years. I don't-,"

Could she do this? Go back to the way it was?

No. They way he talked and looked at her showed that Shepard was disappointed in her. Disappointed that she had turned into a person whose only goal was revenge at almost any cost. That wasn't what Shepard stood for. She wasn't the person Shepard had cared for two years ago. She changed too much. A person like Shepard didn't deserve a person like her. He disserved someone better.

She drew her arms away from his. "We're different people. You have your mission and-"

But before she could say anymore, Shepard moved his hands behind her again. This time, his hands pressed gently on the small of her back where the curves began. It triggered familiar and soothing sensations within her. It brought her back to that time on the SR-1 when the both of them embraced each other in their arms. She exhaled and slowly brought her lips forward. Shepard accepted the kiss and they embraced it deeply. All her uncertainties and concerns about "them" melted away.

"Okay..." She said once it was over. "Okay..."

Shepard looked over at her. "Okay," He said with a playful grin.

"But, we should focus," She said. "Let's see what our options are."

Shepard let go of her knowing that he was successful in bringing her back into his arms again. Liara walked over to the Shadow Broker's desk and observed the terminals.

"No safe guards, or user restrictions. It's like he never anticipated anyone but himself being here. And it's all ours."

"Sure you want to stay here?" Shepard said. "I could use you on the Normandy."

"I have to stay here," Liara turned to him. "We can't pass this up Shepard. All I wanted was to rescue Faren. But- Is it wrong that some part of me wants this? With the Shadow Broker's network, I can help you. Maybe I can turn this operation into something better."

Shepard paused for a moment obviously a little conflicted about the embrace they shared. But he nodded and said. "Don't be a stranger this time."

"Small chance of that," Liara regrettably said. "Comeback soon."

Shepard turned away after taking one last look at her. He didn't seem disappointed, or at least as much as he was before. Liara turned back to the consoles and got to work familiarizing herself with what the Shadow Broker had once the door behind Shepard closed.

* * *

Liara walked into the captain's quarters dressed in her special dress she retrieved from her apartment on Illium after she settled into the Shadow Broker's ship. The cabin was huge, much larger than the previous one she spent the night with Shepard in. And it was much more appealing. The large fish tank to her left was quite a thing to look at along with the model ship display case in front of the Commander's new desk. Down below, the bedroom was much cozier with a lounge sofa and coffee table accompanying it.

Shepard was down by the coffee table with two glasses of wine freshly poured. It was then that she noticed that he wore a dark tuxedo. It was very dashing to look at especially with him in it. Shepard looked up and put the bottle of wine down. He grabbed both glasses and walked up to her.

"Did you enjoy the tour?" He said holding out her glass.

When she came aboard the Normandy from Illium, she didn't have time to formally explore the ship. She stayed mostly in the engineering area where she worked on more of her leads that the Shadow broker had in case they would need to make a detour if they ran into trouble. Seeing how many new things that were in this new ship made it a worthy successor to the SR-1. But to her, this ship wasn't the Normandy without Shepard.

She took her glass from his hand. "Yes. It's a beautiful ship. Garrus was a very helpful guide. I'm glad he's alright despite his injury."

"He's been through a bit, but he's still up for a good fight."

"I also ran into Joker, he seemed happy to see me. Although he did ask me to record any parts of my conversation where 'My eyes do that freaky black eternity thing.'"

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course he did."

"I also spoke with Doctor Chawkwas," Liara continued. "I'm glad she's doing well."

She looked over to the display cases that housed several ship models including one of the original Normandy SR-1. It brought back many memories of the trials she, Shepard and the crew faced when they faced Saren's forces together.

Liara turned to Shepard. "I brought you something. It took some digging but..." She presented the display stand she carried holding a priceless artifact she had kept for years. "I recovered your tags."

Shepard took the display case from her hands. He looked at it for a while. He now had two things that were missing; his helmet that he recovered from the crash site and now his old ID tags.

"I thought I'd never see these again," Shepard said putting it by his private terminal on his desk.

"You can't get back everything you lose. But sometimes you get lucky."

Shepard looked up. "Yeah, that was the plan."

Liara sensed the reference to her giving him to Cerberus to bring him back. Luck is what brought Shepard back to the realm of the living. Luck was what brought Liara to become the new Shadow Broker. And now luck was what drove Shepard on this suicidal mission he was undertaking.

"How are you actually doing, Shepard?" She asked him. "I mean really? Not to tell your squad to keep moral up."

Shepard crossed his arms and looked down at the floor. Now that the fight was over, the reality of a bigger fight to undertake was hard to take in.

"Between you and me," Shepard's face showed large uncertainty and worry. "I have no idea how we're going to do this. I'm doing everything I can but..."

"You've done more than most," Liara said. "There wouldn't be a man women or child left on Horizon. If not for you."

"I saved some of them," Shepard walked down stairs to the bedroom. "Not enough."

He put his glass down on the coffee table before he stopped by the side of the bed. "And the Collectors will continue hitting colonies until I stop them."

"So you'll stop them," She came down to him and put her glass down next to his. It always bothered Liara that Shepard was the one who was given the hardest tasks. But he was the only one who could get any of them done.

Shepard turned back to her. "And here I thought It'd be difficult."

"You'll get the job done. You always do," Liara said. "I just don't know what comes next."

There was always something to do with the threat of the Collectors and soon the Reapers themselves that the things that would come after were overlooked too often.

"So tell me what you want," she said. "If this all ends tomorrow, what happens to us?"

Shepard looked into her eyes before he replied.

"I don't know. Marriage old age..." he paused before the final part. "...and a lot of little blue children?"

_Children?_ That was thinking very far ahead.

"You just say these things," She gently nudged him.

But was he really serious that he wanted all of this? She thought it might come to that point when they were on the SR-1 until that tragic day. The memories started to come back to her. She stepped over to the desk next to the couch.

"Goddess," the tears began to build in her eyes again. "You were dead."

"I got better," Shepard said coming to her.

"This time," She turned around rather quickly. She brought up her hand to touch his shoulder but she stopped pulled it back. She dipped her head and wandered to the corner of the cabin.

"But you're going to leave again," She looked up to the roof window above. "When your team is ready, you'll leap through the Omega-4 relay."

He was going to face off against the very things that had killed him once before. The thought of losing him again lingered in her mind. She didn't want to have to go through it again if Shepard was going to put himself in more danger again. She just couldn't. She turned back to Shepard. She brought her hands up and Shepard brought them into his. She looked into his eyes.

"I spent two years mourning you. So if we're going to try this..." She mustered her courage to say what she needed to say. "I need to know you're always coming back."

She had just told him to make a promise to her. A promise that was a hard thing to do with Shepard's line of work. But it's a promise that she needed him to make if she was going to continue to live on with a better purpose than filtering information on CPUs.

"I don't know. It's a pretty big promise to make," Shepard said with a playful tone. The seriousness of Liara's question seemed to evaporate with his humor. He slowly leaned forward and moved his head around her neck. She allowed him to move her arm around him.

"Oh is it?" She said feeling his cheek brush against the side of her crest.

"I have to have something special to come back to," he said maneuvering his hands behind her.

"I'm open to suggestions," Liara said with curiosity.

"How about this?" She felt his hand run down the base of her back. She gasped when it reached the spot that triggered her pleasurable senses. The rest of the evening was enjoyable between them. When it was time for Liara to return to her new base of operations, she gave Shepard a hug.

"Thank you Shepard. For the drinks. And everything."

She stepped through the door to the elevator and looked at Shepard one last time before the door closed and she descended down the elevator. She felt good about herself and about Shepard. The way he acted felt like it was truly the person that lead her and the crew of the SR-1 to victory over Saren. If it was truly him, they she felt that he could lead this new and more difficult mission and come back alive this time. Shepard had made her a promise and she would hold him to it.

* * *

The cabin door opened.

"Come on in," Shepard said.

"Thank you," said Liara. "May we sit?"

She carried her box with her to Shepard's lounge table and got to work activating it. Shepard took a seat as she did.

"I've been thinking about the knowledge we gathered on the Reapers, and how easily it could be lost again. So, I put a plan in motion to preserve things for the future."

The little box glowed with a holographic display with hundreds of tiny stars reaching out to both of them.

"What's this?" Sheaprd asked.

"A record of the Galaxy," Liara said standing up. "Information on the Reapers, relays, different cultures, and blue prints for the Crucible."

The box's holograph cycled through images of the Reapers and the Crucible blueprints. Shepard seemed impressed with her work as he always seemed to be.

"But there's one entry I wanted your opinion on," She said.

Shepard looked at her. "Which one?"

"Your own."

The box displayed Shepard's own image of him in his uniform.

"I'd be honored to have your input. How would you like history to remember you?"

Shepard was silent for a moment. She had wondered what Shepard would think of putting his name in a box for someone 50,000 years from now to find.

"50,000 years is a long time for a computer to sit around."

"Please, I was an archeologist. I know what I'm doing," Liara said. "I'm encasing these records in time capsules and seeding copies on multiple planets. And while it's not foolproof, the VI I'm installing has every translation and linguistics program I could find."

"So it's an information guide, like vigil on Ilos?" Shepard asked.

"Yes. I've been preparing it for some time."

"And it will be a privilege to guide the future discoverers of these records," The VI's voice said as its image emanated from the box. "Have you decided what you would like Dr. T'Soni to write in your entry, Commander?"

Shepard pondered for a moment.

"You know me well enough to fill in the blanks, Liara," Shepard said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'd like it to be your call."

Liara smiled. That was one thing that the Commander was fond of: Trust. She drove deep into her mind to describe what this one person was to the Galaxy. When she thought she had it, she started the entry.

"I'll start by saying Commander Shepard was born on Earth and fought harder than anyone else for his homeworld. Shepard could handle any weapon in the Galaxy. The Alliance never saw a deadlier soldier. He was a soldier and a leader. One who made peace whenever he could."

She paused before putting in the last detail. "And it was a privilege to know him."

"Careful this doesn't sound like a diary," Shepard said with playful smile.

"I can't help myself," She said sitting down next to him. "You're a good friend, Shepard."

"You've been there for me, too, Liara."

It was meant to be compliment and a thank you, but Liara took it as a reminder of how bad she felt. Thinking about it now, it seemed she was like her mother hunting the Shadow Broker. How could she have been so driven by rage that she refused to fight by her closest friend's side when he needed all the help he could get? She probably could have just abandoned her search for the Shadow Broker and helped him. What could have been more important than fighting the very thing that was going to bring about the end of all life? What she said back then to him when they met again on Illium felt so selfish and immature, something that Shepard did not stand for.

"No I haven't," She said. She leaned forward and stared into the floor. "I wish I could have joined you back on Illium."

"You made up for it," Shepard replied.

She moved her eyes to Shepard. It was a simple sentence, but it was comforting and it felt honest. He wasn't saying it to make her feel better. He was saying it because he meant it. Her uncertainty and guilt of remembering what she was faded away now she was beside the one person who didn't give up on her.

"Well, I suppose I did just write your name in the stars."

Liara smiled and leaned back into the couch. The feeling of being back together was very comforting.

* * *

"You sure you don't want to do something a little more exciting?" Shepard leaned up on the railing where Liara stood overlooking the Presidium. The Presidium certainly had seen better days even after Sovereign's attack. But even with the broken video screens and damaged buildings that came from the Cerberus coup that happened a few days ago, the Presidium was still a beautiful place to look at when you needed to get your mind off things. And with all the work Liara had as the most powerful information broker in the Galaxy, enjoying the pleasant view of the presidium was a calming way to clear her mind. With the Krogan and Turians and the Quairens and Geth working together, it was nice to relax on the Citadel if only for a while.

"I love this part of the Presidium," Liara said. "I reminds me of where I grew up."

"Where's that?" Shepard asked.

"Armali, back on Thessia. My mother and I lived beside a park. I spent hours there."

"Doing what?"

Liara chuckled when the memories came to her. "Reading, exploring. Getting in trouble digging for ruins in the grass."

Shepard's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"I was very young," Liara said.

"Yeah, that's actually pretty cute."

"No one else thought it was funny," Liara rolled her eyes remembering those moments. "The lecture my mother gave me. But she did buy me my first history book the next day."

The fun memories stopped when she remembered what happened. How her mother tried to stop Saren by working from the inside. But it failed and she was indoctrinated becoming the Reaper's pawn.

"I miss her Shepard."

But Shepard didn't let her descend anymore.

"What was she like?" He asked.

"She was confident and kind," Liara recalled the true women that her mother was before that tragic day. "She loved to wear yellow. I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world."

Shepard smiled again. "You'll be okay, Liara."

"Maybe you're right. Thank you, Shepard. I feel better."

That was what she liked about him. He always was there for his friends. Especially for his the closest of friends.

"I wish we could spend more time together like this. Just..." She paused. "friends."

Shepard moved closer to her. " 'Friends' doesn't cut it for me anymore, Liara."

She turned to him. "Well, that sounds serious."

"I am serious. Whatever happens..." He took her hands into his. "I'd like to spend my life with you."

He was so sincere about this. Looking into his eyes reminded her of all the times she had looked at him. Every time he looked at her, weather it was because he was happy or even when he was disappointed or angry, he showed the great care he had for her no matter his mood. And now, he showed a commitment unmatched by anything else he committed to. He wanted her.

"Then you're extremely lucky that I feel that way, too." She said coming closer to him.

"I know," he said as both of them moved together to embrace yet another kiss.

* * *

_"Having a bad day Shepard?"_

_"You could say that."_

_"Landing pad is over there, but it's behind a locked gate."_

_"Let's look for a control panel."_

_"I like your outfit- uh, control panel right."_

* * *

_"Commander. Keep dressing like that, and you'll have to catch me when I swoon."_

_"I might do more than catch you."_

* * *

Liara observed Admiral Anderson's spacious and beautiful apartment. Now with Shepard's twisted adventure of his identity crisis over, she could now enjoy the shore leave that the Commander had promised the crew. With everyone else free to roam the Citadel as the Normandy was now in safe hands, for real this time, Shepard had invited her to the apartment for some time to themselves.

She looked over at the Piano that stood to the left of the entrance by the window overlooking the wards. It had been a while, but she felt curious to try it again. She put her hand down onto the keyboard and the notes flowed through her fingers. From the sound of the melody, it sounded like she had played the song right so far.

"Greetings Commander," Glyph had suddenly materialized in the VI port of the Piano. Liara was startled when she turned quickly to see Shepard standing in front of her.

"Shepard," Liara said with a little embarrassment in her voice.

Shepard had a warm smile on his face. He wore his fancy N7 leather jacket that he wore when Liara met up with him after he was ambushed at the restaurant. Now that it was cleaned, it looked great on him.

"I didn't know you could play," he said looking down at the piano.

"Actually, this is that only song I know," she said looking back at the keys.

"Why's that?" Shepard asked.

"There was always something important to do. A ruin to uncover, intel to gather," She looked at him with a warm smile. "A Commander to save."

He chuckled at the remark. "You couldn't sit still long enough."

Liara chuckled in return, "Could you?"

"Is there something special about this song?" Shepard asked.

"On one of my first digs, a storm swept in. I was so restless, I wanted to get back to work. One of the other archeologists, Dr. Olana, had this keyboard. She took it everywhere."

She put her fingers back down onto the keyboard. The music flowed with a better feel. She was remembering the notes better now with the practice. She pulled her fingers from the keyboard when the stanza was done.

"She taught me to play this song while we waited."

"It's a good song," Shepard complimented.

She looked back at the Commander with a very warm smile.

"Thank you Shepard."

She moved back to the keys and played the next notes she remembered. She finished the stanza and walked over to the window with Shepard behind her.

"I've always loved that song."

They looked down at the mesmerizing neon of the Wards below before they heard more music behind them. They both looked back to see the keys of the piano glowing blue while it play by itself. With Glyph's integration, the song he played was gentle and beautiful. It was a song that played along the lines of the song Liara played. Shepard looked back at Liara in the deep and cheerful atmosphere that enveloped both of them.

"Shepard I..." She turned to leave but she didn't get far when she felt Shepard's hand grab her arm. She looked back at him.

"What are doing?" She accused playfully.

Shepard pulled her back close to him."Making sure you don't run off to do something important."

"I can't imagine what that would be," She said.

"We should do this more often."

"Yes, well," Liara said. "Maybe after..."

"Every day after," Shepard said brought her hands into his.

"Shepard," Liara said with a loving tone. After all of the events that had happened and even with all the strains they've had with each other, they were still here together. She looked deep into his eyes and leaned closer to him. The music enveloped them as their lips found each other yet again.

* * *

Liara stepped out of the elevator to Shepard's door. The door opened and she stepped through. Shepard was sitting down on his couch with his helmet in his hands. He looked up when he heard her come down the steps.

"I wondered where you were," Liara said stopping in front of him.

"EDI didn't tell you?" Shepard said.

"She respects your privacy. Not like me," She said putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"

Shepard turned the helmet around his hands one last time before he stood up. "I thought I heard the casing crack during that last fight," He tossed the helmet over to Liara. "Bullet must have grazed me." He sat on the edge of the bed. He displayed a small amount of nervousness.

"Do you feel ready, Shepard?" Liara said.

Now with the galaxy's fighters working together and the Crucible complete, they were now ready to assault Cerberus head on to take it down. Once Cerberus was broken, the VI they stole would then give them the location of the Catalyst. Once they attacked, the Reapers would know what they were up to and they would be on the move. There was no going back now. The final battles were about to begin. And once again, Shepard was the one who was leading the charge.

"You first," he said to her.

"Ha," Liara said. "Very fair."

She looked down at the helmet in her hands. "What I want most is for this war to end while there's still a galaxy left to save."

She looked back at him. "And everyone is counting on you to do that for us. It must be overwhelming."

Even with the Commander's history in the N7, his heroic stand-off at Elysium, leading the crew of the newly dubbed Normandy SR-1 to foil Saren's plans and the casualty-less suicide mission against the Collectors, he still got nervous about the big missions. He did so well on many but there had been so many hiccups during some of his missions that cost the lives of his allies and friends. He'd lost so many good friends to his enemies and the failure on Thessia gave him a sore feeling in his gut. If he made too many mistakes, more people would die and he might even die failing to complete the mission. He always pushed away the uncertainty to keep his head in the game but sometimes the uncertainty lingered back to him.

"How do you get ready for something like this?" Shepard said with very clear concern.

Liara walked over to him. "You cajole, and threaten, and make tremendous sacrifices," She sat beside him and put his helmet on the side table. "Until the galaxy realizes it has someone worth following."

"You think so?" He said stretching himself out over the bed.

"There is no doubt in my mind," She leaned back beside him.

Both of them looked up through the windowed roof above them. Beyond the glass and beyond the kinetic barriers, the stars shone in their iridescent beauty. For many species, they had wondered if there was life out in the cosmos. For many years, the question was unanswered as all the races could do was wonder what lay beyond their homeworlds. When they advanced their people, and used the mysterious technology that was left behind, they moved out and they explored and expanded their people across the stars. And the question of if there was life beyond the stars was answered. In the many years that past, more and more races made contact with one another. Some in peaceful ways, while others had less civil encounters. In the years that followed, more and more races joined the newly formed community, connecting with each other and learning new things about one another. And even with every space traveling race had explored, there was still more planets out there. Untouched worlds that could be a sanctuary of peace from all the conflict.

Liara looked down and reached out her hand to his own. She slipped it on top of his and wove her fingers into his into a tight grip. Shepard looked over at her.

"It would be easy for a single ship to get lost up there," She said looking back up at the stars. "Wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Shepard said. "It would."

"To find someplace very far away, where you could spend the rest of your life... in peace," Liara looked back at Shepard who did the same.

"And happiness."

He moved over to her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. He sat up and stayed the silence between them. After a moment, he spoke with no voice that was any more truthful.

"Right now, there's no place I'd rather be."

She sat up to his side and looked deep into Shepard's eyes. "Neither would I."

They embraced a deep passionate kiss. Sitting together with him made Liara think of how everything between them came to be. How the technology of space travel brought her people to the stars while his own followed centuries later. And when the galaxy needed help, she was swept into the storm with the Commander and his crew. Through the fighting, she and the Commander grew closer together. When the final battle approached, she came to him to truly become one with him. After the tragic disaster that happened, it seemed that Liara had become so distant that she couldn't come back to him when he came back to the realm of the living. But Shepard persisted and he brought her back to his arms despite everything. He never gave up on her, and that was what kept them together.

And now, she was here with him again looking into his deep blue eyes that matched her own. Inside those two eyes was not just a soldier fighting for the galaxy's populace's right to live, but a person who cared for those he lead into battle and for those who were close to him. She was one of the many reasons why he fought for the galaxy and he was the reason she fought. Whatever happened from this day on, she knew that he was the best thing that ever happened to her.

"I love you Shepard," She said with every feeling of honesty.

"I love you too, Liara," He said, deeply and truthfully.


	3. Chapter 3

Shepard heard something. He _heard_ something. It was vague and soft. But it slowly grew louder. It was a beeping sound. He felt air flow inside him. He could breathe. He felt the senses of his body return to him. He could feel the features of his face, the shape of his torso and the extent of his limbs. Those senses were accompanied by growing stings of pain all around.

Was he... alive?

He moved his eyes around and opened his lids. His vision was dark and blurred. But as it focused, he could make the first thing he saw, a darkened ceiling. A light bore from above his view. He looked up to see a lamp lit over him. When he felt the sore muscles in his neck, he used them to turn his head. He turned to his left to see a window. Through that window, he could see lights of distant buildings, some fading off then on.

He realized he was in a hospital. He was in a bed with a white blanket over him. He felt a number of bandages covering several parts of his body and his face.

Was this real? Was he really here? Alive? How did he...?

The questions in his head were vague in the fog that took a hold of his mind. He couldn't remember what had happened before. At least not entirely. All he could remember was images of a battle. Seeing soldiers, humans and aliens, fighting against deranged monsters.

Reapers. Terrifying machines that barred down on their helpless pray. But there were none of them out there. No terrifying machines towering over the helpless people below. The only things lingering over the buildings were cranes moving equipment and building materials. Before he could think of everything else, he saw something hovering over him in the corner of his eye. He moved his head back and his eyes moved to see something that made his heart stop for a moment.

It was the face of a women whose skin was paved with the color of deep blue. It was an Asari. An Asari who looked down over him with two eyes that matched the color of her skin and both of them were on the brink of tears. Though Shepard was in total awe from what he saw, he found the strength and will to lift his hand from its resting place at his side. The pain was irritating and his muscles were sore, but he pulled his hand out from under the sheet and reached out. His fingers felt the grooved skin of her face and his palm felt it too. All the features he felt, the texture of her skin and the grooves of her face, it was the same as he remembered it was.

"L..." Shepard's lungs crocked with dryness while he struggled to form the word. But the feeling he had in his heart allowed him to pull through and say it. "Liara?"

Liara smiled as two tears were expelled from her eyes and ran down the side of her checks. One of which touched the side of Shepard's thumb.

"Shepard," Liara spoke with a soft whisper. Her voice. It was the same voice as he remembered it. She leaned over and planted a gentle but deep kiss onto his lips. The warmth of happiness and love filled him as he felt her violet lips glide across his. There was pain, but the comfort drowned it out. When she finished, Liara nestled her head onto his shoulder with her cheek on the side of his own.

Shepard was beside himself. He couldn't believe it. He was alive and the one person that mattered to him was here with him?

"Is-is it really you?" he asked her.

Liara pulled her head back from his shoulder to look down into his eyes yet again. She reached down and gently grabbed his hand and brought it up to the exact same spot on her face.

"You are alive Shepard," she said with another soft whisper. "You survived and I'm here by your side."

Feeling her skin again was all Shepard needed to be convinced she was telling him the truth. He was alive and she was alive. The joy of seeing her again filled him with happiness that helped clear out the pain. Then the fog that clouded his memories was starting to emerge.

* * *

_Here take her._

_Shepard!_

_You got to get out of here!_

_I'm alright Shepard._

_Don't argue with me Liara!_

_You are not Leaving me behind._

_No matter what happens..._

_You mean everything to me Liara. You always will._

_Shepard, I... I am yours._

* * *

He remembered the Normandy departing with Liara onboard. Shepard sprinted to the beam alone. Stumbling out in the open before he saw a red beam coming right at him. After that... He couldn't remember after that.

"What-what happened?" he asked her.

Liara gave another loving grin.

"You did it," she said. "You destroyed the Reapers."

The Reapers were destroyed? They succeeded?

"They're gone?" he asked.

"The Crucible worked," Liara said. "Whatever you did, you activated it. It destroyed all the Reapers around Earth and it sent a surge through the relays and reached all the other Reapers."

Shepard lay his head back down on his pillow and closed his eyes. He did it. He really did it. He destroyed the Reapers. But why couldn't he remember anything about it? He couldn't remember the details of what happened after Harbinger nearly killed him. But somehow, he knew he could remember what happened. He had that feeling that he knew he activated the Crucible. It was like those memories that you knew you did something but couldn't remember what exactly happened. But all of it was in a haze. The only thing that he remembered clearly was...

* * *

_You did good son. You did good. I'm proud of you._

* * *

Anderson.

He was about to ask Liara but the door opened. Shepard looked to see a human female walk into to room. When she stopped to look to see that Shepard was awake, Shepard recognized her.

"Shepard," Miranda said with surprise. She walked over to Shepard's side immediately.

"Did he wake up just now?" Miranda asked Liara.

"Only seconds ago." Liara said still overjoyed to see him awake and alive.

Miranda got to work right away.

"Shepard how are you feeling?"

"Miranda," Shepard said. He was happy to see another failure face and happy to see she was still alive too. "I..." He got around to forming his words. "I feel like crap."

"Do you feel serious pain in any region of your body?"

He felt around his body. The pain he felt wasn't anything like that after being shot and having to patch it up with medi-gel. But it was defiantly constant sores around his body. But nothing serious.

"No. I just feel sore."

"That's good," Miranda said. "Your body has made a good recovery while you were out."

"Out?" Shepard said. He'd been unconscious? "For how long?"

Miranda paused and looked over at Liara. He turned his head to her and she answered the question.

"It's been five months since the Crucible was activated and destroyed the Reapers."

Five months. He was in a coma for five months? And Liara had to wait all that time?

"There's a lot that's happened, Shepard," Miranda said. "But for now we need to make sure you're alright for now."

Miranda brought her Omni-tool up from scanning his body to fiddle with it. "Your implants are holding up very firmly and your vitals are showing stable activates. All we need now is to perform a memory test."

"Do you think he needs it?" Liara asked. Obviously implying that he remembered both her and Miranda immediately.

"Long term might be intact but recent memories might be a concern," Miranda said back to Liara. Liara bent her head down for a moment to allow Miranda to proceed. She looked over at Shepard.

"Okay so you remember who Liara is and who I am. So let's start with personal history."

Even though Shepard felt weak and his recent memories was a haze, he still remembered everything that happened before that day on Eden Prime clear as day. He recalled his time on the streets before his recruitment. Then he moved to his service record; his stand-off at Elysium and the N7 program. Next was mostly everything that happened after Eden Prime. The pursuit of Saren, Shepard's death and resurrection, his successful suicide mission against the Collectors, and then leaving earth to rally the galaxy to fight the Reapers. Then there was the battle of Earth which he remembered the first part of but right after that... nothing.

"Are you sure you can't remember what happened after you made it to the Citadel?" Miranda asked.

Shepard tried his best to recall what happened, but nothing came up. "No. Everything after that is just... a haze. The only things I can see are... are..." Shepard winced and tightened his eye brows when his head hurt from thinking too hard.

"It's okay," Miranda said. "Just relax."

Shepard closed his eyes and relaxed the muscles in his face and his neck. The pain in his head subsided when he claimed his mind. After a few seconds, the two things he could remember came to him.

"Anderson," Shepard said. "I was there with him and... the Illusive Man was there too."

Miranda and Liara gave faces of concern. When Shepard saw them make the faces, he knew what it meant before Miranda told him.

"I'm really sorry, Shepard," Miranda said. "But Anderson was found on the Citadel with a fatal bullet wound in his torso."

Shepard closed his eyes. He had a feeling when he remembered Anderson's last words to him. But it still didn't numb the pain that came when the truth was given to him. After holding the line on Earth for all that time Shepard was sent away to get help, at the very end, Anderson had fallen with many of the people he lead.

"The exploration teams recovered his body and brought it down to be buried. His funeral took place several months ago."

Shepard only hoped that Anderson got the recognition he deserved. Without his leadership, more people on Earth would be dead. And it pained Shepard that he couldn't have been there to honor him if he wasn't in a coma this whole time.

"And the Illusive Man?" Shepard asked.

"He was found dead with a shot to the head. From observations, it was most likely that he shot himself."

Shepard's memories shifted when he heard the detail of the Illusive man shooting himself in the head. It was only images of the man taking Anderson's side arm. The images of the man's eyes showed rage but then the rage suddenly turned to fear. Then the barrel of the gun rested on the side of his head and the trigger was pulled. And the last image was the man flopped on the ground lifeless. Everything else was still a haze, but Shepard refocused his mind away from the parts he couldn't remember.

"Then what happened to me?" Shepard asked. "Did you bring me back again?"

"Thankfully I didn't have to," Miranda said with a small grin. "But the odd thing was where they actually found you."

Odd in what way?

"Where did they find me?" Shepard asked.

"After the Crucible activated and destroyed the Reapers around Earth, the Crucible's structure overloaded and broke away from the Citadel when it sent the surge through the relays to destroy the rest of the Reapers in the galaxy. The pieces of the Crucible entered Earth's atmosphere and impacted several spots around Europe and the Mediterranean. At one of the sights in the southern reach of London... they found you there under the rubble."

Thinking about it only made Shepard even more astonished. He couldn't believe it even if he tried. If he was on the Citadel with Anderson when the Crucible was docked and fired, how did he end up on Earth and how was he still alive then?

"And I was still alive?"

"It was hard to believe but yes. I came as quick as I could when I heard they found you."

"How bad was it?"

"Half of your implants were fried and you had third degree burns all over while nearly all your bones were fractured or broken. But somehow you were still alive, but barely. We treated you as best we could until we got an advanced medical facility online. I lead the operation that replaced your implants and fixed the rest of the internal damage."

Sheprad looked down at his body that was covered by the white blanket. "I guess you did a good job then."

"We got the damaged implants replaced and mended the major damage to your organs. But even then, it seemed bleak that you would live. Just over fifty percent. We did everything we could and all we could do was wait."

Hearing what Miranda said gave Shepard a chill. If he had a fifty-fifty chance of living... He looked at Liara who gave a look of past worry.

"You waited five months?"

"Yes. But what's important is that you're alive and you have Liara by your side."

Shepard didn't have to be told a second time to believe that. Considering how weak he felt and how much his head hurt, all that mattered was that he was actually alive and Liara was there with him.

"A lot's happened since then. We'll tell you all about it later. For now, you should rest. You don't need to worry about anything."

She entered the last notes into her data pad and turned around to leave. But before she exited the room, Shepard called out to her.

"Miranda."

She turned around to look back at him.

"Thank you, " he said.

"You're welcome, Shepard," Miranda smiled and left him and Liara alone in the room.

He looked up at Liara to see her eyes filled with so many emotions that she couldn't contain them. And it was the sight of her eyes was enough to cause his own emotions to be raised to the level that made his eyes suddenly fill with tears. In all his life, he never broke his composer in the line of duty. He never displayed his true emotions out to his teammates or to his enemies. But right now, after all the fighting and the hard decisions he had to make, there was no war to be fought. He didn't need to stow away his emotions to keep his moral and the moral of his allies high. The Reapers were gone, there was no more fighting for him to do.

He shed a single tear from his eye right in front of her. Shepard would have expected himself to feel shameful for doing this but he was surprised he didn't feel like it at all. All that he cared about was that Liara was safe. And she was more than safe, she was here with him.

Liara grinned lightly. She moved her hand down to him and whipped away the tear with her thumb. She looked into his eyes again. Seeing her like this made Shepard remember.

_If we're going to try this... I need to know you're always coming back._

Remembering that moment gave Shepard a sense of relief but also a moment of dread.

"Liara, I'm..." Shepard stumbled on the words. The moment he ordered Liara to leave the battle when she was injured. The look on her face. How she didn't want to leave him again. It was so painful remembering it too.

"I'm sorry," Shepard said. "I'm sorry I sent you..."

"Shepard, please," Liara said before Shepard could say anymore. "I was scared when you sent me away. I was terrified when you were on the Crucible when it activated and no one came for you. For this whole war, that's all we've ever felt. Fear. Pain. Sadness."

Liara maneuvered close to him again. "But now, the war is over and you're going to live. It's not a time to be sorry or sad. It's a time to be happy, Shepard. I want to be happy and I want you to be happy. Right now."

Liara's eyes were still streaming with tears when she finished. Seeing her act like this showed how sincere she was. Sitting beside him for months waiting for him to wake up. Shepard could only imagine the torment she endured knowing that he had a fifty-fifty chance of living through it. And seeing her when Thessia was lost, the torment of seeing everything she knew and loved burning around her which lasted for weeks on end, it really showed in her. But now, Shepard was beside her and he was alive. The war was over and they were together. Nothing else mattered now. It was a time to be happy.

Shepard lifted his hand and wrapped it behind her.

"I am happy," He said to her. "More than any person in the Galaxy."

He pulled Liara close to him and brought her lips to his. The pain couldn't keep him from feeling the overwhelming love that filled him. When it was over, Liara put her head on his shoulder again. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close. He did have so many questions about what happened, but he was exhausted. Right now, it was his moment with her. Everything else could wait. He had kept his promise to come back. It was a time to be happy.

"I love you Liara," He said.

"I love you Shepard," she said in return.

* * *

**Author's note:** And so the official epilogue begins. I didn't put any author's note before because I wanted you to figure out what the transition between chapter 1 and 2 meant. But now that that is over with, I'll say what I need to say.

First off, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE give me feedback. Tell me if I'm doing good to draw your attention. Tell me if there are areas I need to work on. Tell me if I'm able to get the scenes right like other writers you've read did. Tell me what you want me to covering addition to what I already have planned. Anyway, I want to know as much as possible because quite frankly, this is the fic that I want to get right. I've really stressed myself out with this chapter because I felt I wasn't getting things I wanted out of it but I think I've managed to do a good job and hopefully you like it.

This fic is for Liara fans and fans who want an overall happy ending to the greatest Sci-fi story of all time.

One last thing, I know I pulled my punches in the last chapter when it came to "Intimacy" unlike many other fics that were given the M rating. If you think it's not enough or just enough to be an M rating, let me know. I might have more in the future but that remains to be seen.

I want to know so please review and/or PM me on what you think so far and/or about what you want to see.

**Update:** Hello again everyone. If you were wondering what I've been doing these past months it was a massive revision of the story. In a few minutes the rest of the chapters will be updated and Chapter 16, as well as the final chapter of "A legion Reborn" will be posted. Afterwards I have a number of things going on and I'll continue this story with the time I have. And I can't say this enough, please give me reviews. The reason the updates are so slow is that I don't know if I'm doing good or need to improve upon something or if what I'm going for is completely out of context. I need to know. So I ask you to please give me reviews to tell me how I'm doing and I promise you'll put up updates faster. Thank you again for all your support. :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Tonight's story: a hero awakens._

_It has been nearly five months after the war with the Reapers was finished with the deployment of the Crucible device. The one who made it possible was the famed Alliance soldier Commander Shepard. It was not clear of what happened but by his actions, Shepard arrived onto the Citadel as it was held in Earth's orbit to open the arms so the crucible would be docked. However the crucible was not activated until a few minutes later from what witnesses assumed to be Shepard's doing._

_When his body was found in the rubble of London after the Crucible fired, it was confirmed that he was alive and after medical examination but was in a coma. Now after five months of waiting, we're receiving news that Commander Shepard has emerged from his coma and is now fully conscious. Details on his present condition are not clear but doctors say he is recovering steadily. On behalf of the Alliance news network, we are grateful to know one of our many heroes has survived the fight to see what the future holds for all of us._

* * *

Shepard's eyes shot open. He felt himself breathing hard. When his vision cleared he looked to see that he was still in the hospital.

_Thank god._ He thought. And we was even more thankful to see Liara still sitting next to him.

"It's okay Shepard," Liara said. "I'm here."

"And I'm happy that you are," Shepard said. He couldn't remember what he dreamed about but he knew it wasn't pleasant. And worst of all he knew it involved Liara in it. But the feeling of dread evaporated quickly with Liara's presence.

After a comforting hug, Shepard looked out the window to see daylight shine over London showing the furthest reaches of the city and beyond. He could see the cranes flanking the towers more clearly and the detail of the condition it was clear too. The frames of the sky scrapers were in pretty good shape and many other towers had their skeletal sections taking shape. It seemed London had made a very good recovery over the five months it was rebuilding.

Shepard heard the door open and in walked Miranda.

"Good morning, Shepard," She said.

"Good morning," Shepard said in return. "How am I doing?"

Miranda looked at her data pad. "Well your organs are reporting stable behavior without serious ruptures or bruising. The healing while you were in a comma was slow but the long months gave you enough time to heal most of the major swelling. Based on our estimates, you'll be out of hospital in a week if you take it easy. And if you feel up to it, we'll allow you to get on your feet tomorrow. Hopefully you won't have to shoot your way out of the hospital since there's no mech security here."

Shepard smiled at the reminder of the last time he woke up after a serious operation. He didn't have the privilege of taking his time getting on his feet when he had to hit the ground running and shoot his way through the station when the mechs went berserk.

"So is it time for more tests?" Shepard said.

"Just a quick scan for today," Miranda was already waving her omni-tool over him. After a minute, she deactivated it. "All good for now. But I'm sorry that you two won't have time to yourselves."

"Why's that?" Shepard said.

Miranda simple looked back at the door which opened again. Shepard looked to see a sight that was as good as any.

Garrus Vakerian. Tali'zora vas Normandy. James Vega. Jack. Urdnot Wrex. Urdnot Grunt. Javik. All of them filed into the room.

"HE-HA! SHEPARD!" Grunt exclaimed with excitement. He moved over to Shepard's side while Miranda barely had time to move out of the way.

"Grunt," Shepard said smiling. He looked over to all the rest that stood in the room. "It's great to see all of you."

"And we're so happy to see that you're still alive Sheaprd," Tali said. "It was very painful waiting for you to wake up."

"More painful worrying about what Liara would feel if you died in front of her," Garrus said. "But thankfully, we don't have to worry about that."

Shepard grinned at Garrus's remark with the somewhat dark humor he used. The unpleasant reminder of his fifty-fifty chance came but went away quickly.

"It's good to see you're not as shitty looking when you were taking that long nap of yours," Jack said. "I was getting uneasy seeing your face when we pulled you out."

_Pulled me out?_

"Wait. You're the one who found me, Jack?"

"Her and us," Wrex stepped up next to Grunt.

"Wrex and I came together with Jack to explore the place where a piece of the Crucible crashed," Grunt said. "We dug through the rubble to find you."

Shepard smiled again. The image of Grunt digging through the rubble to find his own battle master's body in the rubble amused him for a moment. The miracle of him surviving the fall to Earth got better knowing it was three of his friends who dug him out.

"Was I really hideous when you found me?"

"You looked like shit that was for sure," Jack said. "But honestly, it didn't look as bad as 'scares' over there." She motioned her head over to Garrus.

"How am I supposed to know you're telling the truth?" Garrus asked. "I didn't get a chance to see him because Miranda fixed up the scares before we got back."

"I haven't looked in a mirror yet," said Shepard. "How is my face now?"

"I managed to remove the serious scaring that remerged across your face," Miranda said. "Only bumps and bruises were left and your body healed most of those away."

"In other words," Liara said. "You have the same face I touched before the battle started."

Shepard smiled again. He'd thought he would have looked hideous after the ordeal he went through, but leave to Miranda to make him look the best he could look like. Thank god for modern technology.

Shepard looked through the group to see Javik standing behind all of them.

"Happy to see me, Javik?" he asked.

Javik looked over at Shepard with the silent stare that showed little emotion like he did when he stayed aboard the Normandy after he was woken up. But after all the adventures and battles with the crew, he showed traces of some emotion in his four eyes. He stepped away from the wall and walked closer to Shepard's bed.

"After seeing only death from two cycles, and finally seeing the destroyers of my people finally crushed to dust, the sight of their destroyer still breathing life into himself is something that is good for a change," Javik replied.

"Well I'm happy that you've made it through too Javik," said Shepard. "You were one of the best soldiers I fought with."

"As were you," Javik replied. "I am grateful to have fought by your side and to finally avenge my people. It's a victory, and you were the one who made it possible."

Hearing Javik this thankful made Shepard smile again. When he had him on his crew he was taken aback about how cold and straight Javik was. Much more about how rude he was especially around Liara who wanted to know him. Not just learn more about the Protheans like she had done before changing into an information broker, learn about him as a person like she managed to do on the SR-1 when she joined the crew. But Javik pushed her away and was rather rude to her. A great turnout to Liara's dream that was coming true.

But Shepard had hoped that some way, somehow, Javik could see the better part of opening up to the ones he served with. It worked for Jack in the end, and it seemed that it worked for Javik. But the reminder of his and Javik's last conversation before the final push came up in Shepard's mind.

"Are you still going to do what you said you were going to do?" He referred to Javik's promise to join his own crew in death having seen their faces, and their fates, when he touched his memory shard.

"I will," said Javik. "But I have decided to embrace the feeling of peace before that time. Having only seen death and destruction ever since birth, the feeling of peace is new to me. These past few months, I have witnessed the resilience of these people as I watched them work to restore this world along with the rest of the galaxy. It was something that I have only dreamed about when I was not fighting. It'll be a good memory to hold on to when I leave to join my men."

That was enough for Shepard.

"Well I'm happy that you're planning to stay with us just a little longer."

"He's agreed to co-author my book I'm working on," said Liara.

Shepard looked back at Liara with surprise. "Journey with the Prothean?" He asked. When Shepard went down to talk to Liara on the Normany from time to time, he caught a glimpse of an entry on her terminal saying that she was working on a book about Protheans and it had a list of potential titles.

"We've been working on little bits of it but I've only made small progress," she replied.

"Let me guess," Shepard said. "It's because of me and Shadow Broker business."

Liara dipped her head down with embarrassment and a little bit of shame.

"I've wanted to be by your side most of the time but with the reconstruction effort everywhere..."

"Hey, it's alright," Shepard said. "You were here at the right time so don't worry about it."

Liara grinned and gave a light shrug.

"So how does it feel Shepard?" asked Garrus. "Having finally blown the Reapers to hell once and for all and to actual live to tell about it?"

Shepard closed his eyes. He remembered the median voyage of the Normandy SR-1 to Eden Prime and he remembered the adventure that followed. From Eden Prime to Ilos. From Omega, to Illium, to the Collector base. From Earth to Tuchanka, to Rannoch, to Thessia and finally back to Earth. All the fire fights, all the painful images of the horrid Reaper creations and all the people dying to survive, all of that was over. The Reapers were gone. The Galaxy was free. There was now another agenda for humanity and the rest of the Galaxy to follow besides war. Peace was finally here.

"To be honest," he looked over to Liara again and took her hand. "I could care less because I've kept my promise to the person who means the world to me. That's all that matters."

"Well I guess that could make sense," said Garrus. "The whole hero thing must have gotten old on you since you've earned it for the third time in a row."

_Savior of the Citadel_. _Destroyer of the Collectors._ And now, _Savor of the Galaxy_.

"Well that's too bad considering what I said about what your name means on Tuchanka," said Wrex. "We've already built the statue."

Shepard shuddered when Wrex said the word statue.

"You didn't..." Shepard said rolling his eyes.

"Bakarra and I already did," Wrex's big smile filled his face as he laughed. "Once you're out of bed, you'll need to come by to see it for yourself."

"Every world will make statues for you Shepard," Grunt spoke up. "You've fought harder than anyone and you've crushed the greatest enemies to the Galaxy. Every world should have a statue of you."

"Like I said to you, Commander," Javik stepped closer to Shepard's bed. "You are the avatar of this cycle. You were the one who united a divided galaxy to achieve what my people could not. You are the reason why everyone is still here and the reason they are striving for a better future."

The praise felt good but felt the same as it always had been.

"I wouldn't have been able to do any of that if it had been for all of you," Shepard looked out to all the others. "Ever since the day I went after Saren, the reason I succeed was thanks to all of you carrying your weight as well as each other. I couldn't have done this without any of you."

"We were happy to help," Tali said. "After everything you've done, those statues are the least everyone could do for you."

Shepard smiled again. And it made Shepard think about what the galaxy was like hearing that the Krogen had made a statue of him. The only thing he saw so far was the cranes working on London.

"I know that I don't take the hero stuff seriously," he said. "But I might as well ask. How big is it?"

Tali activated her Omni-tool and walked over to the TV monitor at the other end of the room. She swiped it in front of the monitor and it turned on.

"See for yourself," she said.

The screen showed a news real with an overhead view of a crowd of people gathering outside a building. The camera zoomed in and the crowd of people consisted mostly of humans but many other species. Turian, Asari, Salerian and others. Many held signs that said things like "You deserve to live," "Get well soon," "We want one less dead hero!" and other kind words. The screen then switched over to a familiar face that stood in the crowd.

**"**Khalisah Al-Jilani reporting live from Earth. Several months ago after the destruction of the Repears and the evacuation of the populace of the Citadel, the body of Commander Shepard was found in the ruins of London after the device the Alliance deployed on the Reapers fired. He was moved to this hospital and was reported to be in a comma but in stable condition. From the reports we are getting now, it is confirmed that Commander Shepard is conscious. We don't know the details of his condition but the doctors have said that he is recovering."

Shepard was surprised to see Al-Jilani still reporting. Even more surprising was the fact that she seemed to have a more sympathetic report unlike the times she backed Shepard in the corner with her interviews.

"That's just outside the window?" Shepard asked.

"It's been like that for days after you were moved here," James stood by the window and looked down through it. "People came and went while others stayed longer. Now everyone's coming back now that the word's out."

The screen changed to a the face of an Asari standing in front of the camera with Al-Jilani to the side.

"Can you explain to me what Commander Shepard means to you in a few words," Al-Jilani asked the interviewee.

"Well that's very hard to do with just a few words because I have quite a few things that I admire about him. He was a special soldier who fought for all of us. Not just for his own race but for every person of every race including my own. In a way, I believe he shows the best all of us can be."

The next person to be interviewed was a male Turian.

"I was very young when humanity was introduced into the galactic community. I grew up seeing humanity as an arrogant impulsive race and had my suspicions about them. But after this war, and seeing all the Commander did for all of us, it gives me hope that all of us can work together for a better future."

The next person to come up gave Shepard a real surprise.

"Well I was a very big fan of Shepard when he became the first human Spectre," said Conrad Verner. "I was very obsessed about him that I tried to be like him. I got myself into trouble on Illium and I made a fool of myself on the Citadel and the Commander had to come in to fix the problem I got into both times. But after the time I got in trouble on the Citadel, I saw a Cerberus informant and I called him out. Now you might not believe this part, but he pulled a gun on the Commander and I leapt in front of him to take the bullet."

"My... that is hard to believe indeed," Al-Jilani replied. "Was it painful when the bullet hit you?"

"Actually no. Thankfully someone sabotaged his gun so it never fired the round. That person saved my life, but that's another story. What the Commander made me realize was that I didn't need to be a heroic man risking his life and do those kind of crazy things to help people. What's important is that I be a good person and help out with what I can do on my own level. After he straightened me out on Illium, I opened a shelter for orphans and refugees until the Reapers attacked. Even though I lost what I had left getting the refugees off-world, I'm still going to work to help people on Earth and maybe on other worlds now that the war is over."

He turned his gaze to camera.

"Commander Shepard," he said into the camera. "If you see this when you recover, because I know you'll pull through, I just wanted to say thank you for what you did for me and I promise that'll do a better job to help those who need it. Because that's what you'd want me and any other ordinary person to do."

Shepard was stunned at Conrad's words. He'd showed signs that he really matured and actually learned from his mistakes. But would it last?

"Only time will tell," said Garrus.

"Really hope so," said Shepard.

The video screen switched to more images of people showing their support for the Commander with more signs that said "You are a hero!" "Thank you" "Get well soon" and other kind words from people from other places around the galaxy.

The images made Shepard think about what these people had experienced. Since the war started, they were scared and terrified of the Reapers who came to wipe them out. But now, with the war over, they seemed to stand stronger than ever before. How he brought a crew of diverse people together to travel the galaxy, that image was passed down to the people he fought for.

"You're a hero, Shepard," Wrex said. "Just like I said on Tuchanka."

"Only because I killed the Reapers with help of everyone here in this room."

"And they helped because of what you stood for," Liara leaned down to his side again. "You believed working together was the way the galaxy was going make itself a better place even before the Reapers arrived."

Shepard remembered the conversations he and Liara had after they first met when she joined the Normandy crew. She told him about how she and her own species viewed humanity as a bully and how the first human Spectre had a duty to bring humanity up the levels in the galactic community and have the other races view them as equals.

"I did what you thought I was going to when we talked on the SR-1, didn't I?"

"You did more than what I thought you would do after that day I came aboard."

"You did the impossible Shepard," Wrex said. "Every person on every world is indebted to you. My people one of biggest. We'll try to find a way to make it up to you because the statue isn't enough."

"To be honest," Shepard looked over at Wrex. "The way you can repay me is for you and the Turians and Salerians to play nice from here on." He looked over at Grunt. "And my biggest concern is with Grunt handling the idea of peace seeing how exited he gets just before the fight."

Some of the people in the group chuckled.

"Don't worry Shepard," Grunt said. "I've been learning the feelings of peace thanks to you and from the Krogan females now that they are working with the clans for a new leadership. From what little I learned in my tank of my people before this war, this new leadership will be different than the old and it will bring a better future to us."

"And when Grunt needs to burn off steam, I think he can become an official Armax Athlete once they set an arena over there," said Garrus.

"I'll find my way," Grunt replied.

"And under the circumstances, it's the best time to cooperate with the Turians and the Salerians thanks to you," Wrex said. "I'll do my part as will the others."

"Thanks Wrex," Shepard smiled.

"It's the least I can do," said Wrex. "Just make sure you can still run once you get out of that bed. After a long fight, you'll still need to walkout all the stress from of the fight."

"We'll get him on his feet, and well make sure he'll be ready to run when the time comes," Miranda said.

"Alright then. Well we'd better get going Grunt. Tuchanka needs its own heroes to come back. See you around Shepard."

"See you around Wrex."

Wrex turned to the door and Grunt followed.

"I'd better get going too," said Jack. "Me and the kids have been sticking here long enough."

"Your students survived?" asked Shepard.

"All thanks to you actually," said Jack. "Most of the biotic artillery units were wiped out. But the kids have been game changers as supporters and they all survived having been behind the frontlines. After you activated the crucible and once the relays were reactivated, the kids wanted to stick around and help out on Earth before we headed back to Grissom."

"Well I'm glad to know that your new family is still there for you," Shepard said

"Don't get all mushy Shepard," Jack shot back. "I still don't dig that sort of thing. Anyway, make sure you still are able to walk on your own when you get out of this hell hole that's called a hospital."

Jack walked out of the room and Shepard smiled.

It really was a good feeling seeing how Jack had changed since he first met her. Her image of a powerful and violent convict gave Shepard some worry when he saw her the first time.

After seeing the bloodlust Zaeed had when he put his revenge ahead of his mission, Shepard was concerned about what Jack would do. Where Zaeed was an old man who made a profitable career killing people regardless of who they were, Jack was a killer because she was running. All of her life, she ran away from the past continuing to kill and hurt people who seemed to be indifferent from her. But it was that part, running, that made her different than what Zaeed was and it was her age that made Shepard feel a sense of hope for her.

When Shepard learned about her past, and eventually got around to erase it, he saw such a similarity between him and her. He never found a true family until he joined the Alliance. He was on the run to survive and so was her, only that she had it much worse having to survive Cerberus's experiments and the brutal life style of terminus only added to the fire.

He had hoped by helping her remove her past that she could move on from there. At first it didn't seem it was going to work. She was still aggressive and didn't get along with Miranda at all. Good thing Shepard put her and the rest of the second team under Garrus's command and not Miranda's. But even with having to fight beside, not under, Miranda, Jack became a team player especially when she carried the barrier through the seeker swarm nest.

All the little things she witnessed seemed to have added up in the end. The missions to help out the other crew members might not have done much on their own, but putting them together with her performance during the suicide mission, Shepard knew that she and the rest of the crew were changed by all of it.

When he met her again at Grissom, it all showed up. She found a family just like he did. And she even admitted it with her little conversation with him at the purgatory bar.

_Yeah, yeah maybe your little suicide squad made me learn something about teamwork._

And now with the war over, her family was safe. All of it just made him smile.

Several minutes past after Jack left until two more familiar faces walked into the room. Kaidan Alanko and Jeff "Joker" Mero. Shepard was beginning to wonder when either of them were going to show up.

"Hey Commander," Joker said. "Sorry we're late. We were in the middle of a supply run when the word came."

"Well better late than never," said Shepard. "I'm glad to see you two made it too."

"I'm just glad you were able to pull through by yourself this time Commander," Kaidan said. "We've been holding our breath ever since we got word that you were alive."

"Garrus said he didn't get to see me before Miranda fixed my face," said Shepard. "What happened with all of you?"

Joker took a seat and started the story from the beginning.

"After you got Liara and Garrus on board, Cortez got the shuttle operational and picked up the others when they were in trouble. I picked them up and pulled back up to orbit when Hackett gave the word that you made it onto the Citadel. The fighting was still hard but the fleets held out until you opened the arms. When the crucible armed, I..." Joker stumbled on his words and choked a little.

Kaiden carried on for him. "Hackett ordered the fleets to scatter and Joker didn't want to leave. I didn't want to either but I made the call. I'm sorry."

"It was the right call, Major," Shepard said. "I thought I was a dead man anyway."

He felt Liara's grip on his hand tighten. He looked over at her to begin to calm her down but her facial cue said that she was okay. Joker continued with the story.

"I put the ship into FTL before the blast reached through the relays. The blast started to catch up to us and I pushed her as fast as she could go."

"What happened?"

"The blast reached us and forced us out of FTL," Kaidan continued. "The next thing we realized was that Joker landed us on a jungle planet we didn't know about until now."

"Really?" Shepard was surprised.

"Hell of a lucky break," Kaiden said. "Even more lucky that the planet had a breathable atmosphere."

Lucky indeed.

"The engines were fried and systems were down when we got our bearings," Tali said. "We worked around the clock to get everything together. Luckily the engines weren't damaged nearly as much as we feared they'd be. I worked with Adams and the others to get the engines working again while the others tried to get the coms back online to figure out where we were and what was happening now that it was over."

"How long did the repairs take?" Shepard asked.

"The engines only took me about eight days to be in a good enough condition to get us back to Sol once we found our bearings. We lifted off a okay and met up with several of the fleets who're held up several systems away from where we were."

"Several of the fleets were still figuring out where everyone was after the fleets scattered when the crucible fired," Kaiden continued the story. "Those who were found made it back to Sol while others stayed to find more of the fleets scattered outside of the system. We met up with them and they pointed us in the direction of Earth."

"And let me guess you went straight to London to find me?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Vega said speaking up for the first time. "Besides, we were all very homesick having only been back on Earth for only a few hours before we were ordered to pull out."

"Homesick for you mister Vega," Garrus said. "But I will admit that my time on this planet was nice while we waited for the relays to be fixed."

"Fixed?" Shepard asked. "The relays were damaged?"

"The blast that surged through the relays ruptured every major relay in the star systems and they were inoperable," Kaiden said. "But the good news was that they were broken up into half a dozen large pieces. All the fleets needed to do was to tow the pieces back together and reactivate them like a brand new relay."

That sounded like another lucky break for everyone. If the relays couldn't be repaired, then all the other species couldn't go home. They'd be stuck in Sol with a nearly resource depleted Earth that couldn't sustain all the people on Earth or the Aliens who needed their native diet to survive.

"How was the supply situation?" he asked.

"The flotilla planed ahead for ourselves and the Turians," Tali said. "The fleets stockpiled Dextro rations and many other of our dietary needs so we wouldn't starve if this kind of thing would have happened. The rest of the fleets had a good amount of rations ready for the civilians once the Reapers were defeated. Once the relay was fixed, we still had a good amount of food to spare."

That was a relief. Tali and her people didn't starve and the people of Earth managed to get a good amount to eat before supplies started to flow in.

"How long did it take for the fleets to fix the Charon relay?"

"It took about three weeks to get the Charon relay working," Kaidan said. "After that, the bulk of the fleet have been jumping system by system to get the major routes back online."

"How is it now?"

"The routes to Palavin, Thessia, Tuchunka, Rannoch and all the other major worlds are fixed with several secondary relays still in the works," Garrus continued the conversation. "I'd say in about one in a half more months the rest of the relays will be back up thanks to all the systems helping out. And with the Rachni's help, the work time on the other Relays was cut by a third. "

So the trade routes were being reestablished and it sounded like they were making good progress.

"Alright good," Shepard said. "So you came back to Earth and waited for me to wake up while you waited for the relays to be fixed. What did you all do during that time?"

"We did what we could do for the people here on Earth," Garrus said. "But even after the network was open, we decided to stay."

"Really?" Shepard asked. "What about your family Garrus? Are they okay?"

"They're both alive and well on Palavin." Garrus said. "But instead of heading over there to see them, they came over here to see me."

"I thought you said you were homesick, Garrus."

"I was," Garrus said. "But Palavin needed a its Primarck more than one of its soldiers. All of us needed to be here for you."

Shepard smiled.

"Is that the same for you Tali?" Shepard asked. "I would have thought you'd be on Rannoch with your people? Thought you'd be making that house you were talking about."

"You're more important than a house, Shepard," Tali said with tone that suggested that she was smiling under her mask. "But anyway, the Flotilla returned to Rannoch a month ago once the network to there was fixed. I was expecting the Admirals to want me back but they said they had it handled and I should stay on Earth for your sake."

"How are the Qua-"

Shepard stopped. All of a sudden he-

* * *

_The Crucible will not discriminate. All synthetics will be targeted._

* * *

In that instant, Shepard mind sparked so hard he shuttered. He jerked back hard into his pillow and his hand shot up to his head. The sudden movement made everyone in the room jump.

"Shepard!" Miranda shot herself forward and put her hand gently on his shoulder while Liara put her hand on his opposite one. "Are you okay?"

Shepard didn't answer or look up immediately. His mind was suddenly swimming with images and emotions he couldn't keep track of. When he forced himself to calm down and take a deep breath, his mind became clearer and he could process what came into his mind. Out of all the things that swam through his head, all he could process into his head and put through his mouth was one word.

"EDI...?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Very sorry for the delay. Work's been very time consuming and I've been battling procrastination like every writer does. But I've finally got this chapter done and hopefully it'll be smoother sailing from here.

As always, please leave a review and/or PM me to tell me what you think of my ideas, my writing and what you think I can do better. This is the fic that I want to get right and your support can make this fic the best I can make it. Thank you so much and see you on the next Chapter. :)

**Update:** Decided to change up the chapter, revise some of the dialog and change the location of the jungle planet the Normandy crashed on to a system in the local cluster instead.


	5. Chapter 5

The room was silent for several minutes. All the energy he felt of his friends telling him of all the good news was gone. When he looked up, Shepard's eyes moved to Joker. He saw him try his best to conceal his face of grief. The others gave each other concerned looks. It could only mean one thing.

Liara was the one to speak first.

"We hoped to tell you after you recovered. But we should tell you now."

Tali stood up and Shepard looked over at her.

"When Joker landed the ship after the blast knocked us out of FTL, EDI went offline. But even when we repaired the A.I. core as best we could, it wouldn't respond. There was nothing."

"Nothing?" Shepard blankly said.

"It was something that shook all of us," Kaidan said. "When we arrived back with the fleets and had them look at the core, they couldn't find anything."

Kaiden looked down, "She's gone."

Shepard closed his eyes. The overwhelming realization stung him so hard. Another one of his crewmates was lost. Because...

"What about the Geth?" He opened his eyes and looked over at Tali. If EDI was gone...

"From all the reports, the Reaper thralls on Earth and the rest of the Galaxy were vaporized by the blast while the organics were left unharmed," Tali said. "But when the blast reached the geth troops, the platforms malfunctioned and became inoperable."

"What about the servers?" Shepard asked immediately. "Or the fleet?" The geth weren't just in the platforms. They existed as software and operated hardware like the mobile platforms that held the guns they used.

"When the flotilla found the bulk of the geth fleet outside of Sol, they boarded them. They said they were like ghost ships. Platforms were lying everywhere and the processors and ship equipment were completely inoperable. Those ships were just... dead."

Inoperable platforms and ghost ships. It wasn't good. Not good at all.

"And Rannoch?"

"Xen and the other admirals ordered the flotilla to salvage what they could from the geth fleet and bring them back to Rannoch once the relays opened back up. Before they reached Rannoch, the civilians on the planet reported the same thing when they examined the platforms and the servers. They were all empty. Xen said she was going to study what remained of them. I haven't heard anything since then."

The realization slapped Shepard hard across his face. They were dead. All of them. Dead. Because...

"I'm so sorry, Shepard," Liara brought his hand into hers. "We didn't foresee any of this with the Crucible."

That would have been true. But it wasn't.

"It's my fault," Shepard said. The room fell silent for a second but Tali jumped in.

"No one knew this would happen, Shepard. You didn't know."

Shepard looked up at Tali. He looked at the others too. The cold feeling that lingered in him showed in his eyes. He bent his head down in shame.

"I only wish that weren't true."

The next silence was longer. They felt the trace of Shepard's guilt that meant he knew something. And he did. With the spark, the memories came back to him. Everything he remembered came to him, clear as day. He took a deep breath. He told them what happened.

When Shepard finished, the whole room was silent. He didn't open his eyes for nearly ten seconds. He could feel the tension between everyone. After nearly a minute of silence and motionlessness, Joker stood from his chair. He looked around at the others in the room before he turned to the door and limped his frail and brittle body toward it. Having to get over her death and move on only to be reminded and realize that Shepard, his superior officer, was the reason why she died.

"Joker you know he didn't have a choice!" The door behind Joker closed just as Vega finished his sentence. Shepard opened his eyes but only looked down at the sheets of his bed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Vega turned his head. Shepard lifted his head slowly to see that Vega showed utter surprise in his face.

"Are you saying that you almost considered controlling those sons of bitches?"

Vega sounded tense perhaps a little angry. Shepard had seen Vega react to Shepard's past odd choices. Like when Vega joined Shepard on the mission on Utukku, he thought it was insain that Shepard allowed the Rachni Queen to live and set her free on Novaria. And when Shepard returned the Normandy after disabling the Geth Dreadnought with Legion in tow, Vega was concerned like Javik was. But now, it seemed Vega wasn't surprised, it seemed Vega was stunned.

"What makes you say that?" Shepard asked.

"Because if you did, that would go against everything we've been fighting for," Vega said almost shouting. "What have we been trying to do these past few years? To blow those Motherfuckers to the hell the came from!"

"But that killed the Geth and EDI," Kaidan said to him.

"Are you saying that both of you think that Illusive fucker was right? That it's okay to control those things that turned people into monsters?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Kaiden walked up to Vega.

"Then what are you saying? That we should be like them instead?"

"Settle down both of you!" Liara jumped up out of her seat. She sounded so angry but more sad. Shepard could imagine why. How he was in a situation that he was sure that he was going to die and he could have done something different than the choice he made that ended up giving him back to her. "Shepard did what he did and nothing can change that!"

Vega tightened his fist and gritted his teeth. His anger dissipated quickly and he released his fists. Kaidan stepped away from Vega to where he stood before. Shepard never expected Vega to be this aggressive about his hesitation on the Crucible.

"I'm sorry," Vega said with a calmer voice. "I just couldn't imagine you choosing either of those things. I mean, the Illusive man was all about controlling them and he was indoctrinated just like the rest of Cerberus was."

"I too agree," Javik said surprisingly calm from the tension between everyone. "If the entity that was the controller of the Reapers had given you the choice to let you take its place, it was most likely a trick to indoctrinate you."

He did have a point. Vendetta, the Prothean VI on Thessia, said himself that the ones who argued to control the Reapers in the previous cycle were indoctrinated and the Catalyst himself told Shepard that the Illusive man was indoctrinated. And the Catalyst itself confirmed that the Illusive man was indoctrinated. But in that moment, it felt like the Catalyst was sincere and Shepard could be able to do it. But was the Catalyst deceiving him? He didn't know and he wouldn't know now.

"And I don't think Javik here would ever forgive you if you became the things he's been wanting to destroy for 50,000 years, am I right?" Vega looked over at Javik.

"No, I would not," Javik's voice suddenly became cold. "The Reapers' purpose is nothing more than a mistake. A mistake the Leviathan made. A mistake that my people and ever species who came before us suffered for. I returned to bring vengeance, not to let them live as tools for us. To be their master, even to order them to destroy themselves once they were converted, would be a far worse betrayal than anyone of any cycle has witnessed."

That tone actually sent a chill through Shepard's spin. Would it have been betrayal if he did what the Illusive man wanted? Even if he would have used their capabilities for different purposes than what Cerberus would have done?

"Well he didn't do it," Liara said as if she were defending him from an accusation.

"It's okay Liara," Kaiden said. "No body's accusing Shepard of any of that."

Liara piped down and relaxed herself in her seat. Javik took a step back. But surprisingly, he didn't hold the stern look on his face when he turned away. Shepard hoped it meant that Javik wasn't angry anymore at him

"I just need to ask though," Vega said. "What the fuck was synthesis supposed do? I don't understand that."

"From the sound of it, I suppose we'd all become like Saren." Garrus said. "A half machine monstrosity who could be turned inside out with a push of a button."

Shepard remembered what Saran had said to him during their final confrontation on the Citadel when Sovereign took it over.

* * *

_The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and Machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny._

* * *

And in the end, he was indoctrinated and he shot himself when Shepard convinced him that he was. And when he was dead, his body had been turned inside out into a monstrous figure that tried to kill Shepard before Sovereign opened the relay for the Reapers to arrive. There was no real agenda to make the galaxy better by merging organic and synthetic life. It was all just to have the species fight each other to make the Reaper's task easier. In the end, Shepard killed the monstrosity the was formally Saren, which caused Sovereign to be weakened for Hackett and the fleets to take down.

"Guess we'll never find out," Tali said.

"But even if that didn't happen and we get something that's acceptable, there's a good reason why I don't want any of that to happen to me," Vega lifted his large arm and flexed it for all to see. "I built these myself and if you forced me to have synthetic implants I..." Vega stopped midsentence when he realized that one person in the room was actually like that right now.

"Well, I mean you're-"

"It's ok James. I get the point," Shepard said when he looked up at him for the first time in several minutes.

"Ok," Vega felt relived and put his arm down. "I'm just glad you didn't do what you didn't. I know it was another hard choice for you to make. But I think you did the right thing."

Shepard looked over at Liara who showed so much emotional conflict within her. The thoughts of him possibly becoming the Reaper's leader or choosing to dematerialize himself to change the fabric of life in the galaxy obviously lingered in her mind. But the one that she displayed the most was empathy for him. She and the crew knew the burdens he had to endure when difficult decisions had to be made. Leaving Ashley on Vermir to die while the rest of the crew could escape. Having to send the asteroid into the Alpha relay with having no way of warning the Batarian colonists in time before the system was wiped out. And now, another one of their crew was dead and an entire synthetic race was now extinct. And it weighed on him. But he was glad that these people were there for him.

"Maybe we should go," Kaidan said to the others after another long silence between them. "This thing has probably taken a toll on all of us. Not just Joker. We all just need some time."

The conversations were so good and the news of the reconstruction of the galaxy was very good. But now it seemed to have all died down now that Shepard had remembered and admitted the truth. It didn't feel right to have everyone leave on this low note, but all the feelings needed to run the course if they were to move on.

"I'm glad all of you stopped by," Shepard said. "I mean that."

"We know you are," said Tali. "And regardless of everything else, we're all happy your alive."

One by one everyone left the room giving a friendly goodbye to the Commander. Miranda completed her tests and left after most of the others had left. The last person to leave was Kaidan. He stopped at the door and looked back at the Commander.

"Shepard," he said. "You should know that there are good things that came out of this. Not just choosing to destroy the Reapers, but because you made a choice. Just think about that."

The door closed behind Kaidan and Shepard and Liara were left alone again.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Was he?

"I don't know," Shepard said. With everything that happened and remembering what happened in the final moments the realization of the consequences of his choice had come true, he truly felt lost. But his mind drifted back enough to look up at Liara again.

"But what about you," he asked.

"I don't know either," Liara replied. "If you need some time I-"

She was about to leave her seat but Shepard brought his hand up and gently grabbed her arm. She read his face and it meant that he wanted her to stay at his side for a while longer. She sat back down next to him clasped his hand over his chest.

"I'm here for you Shepard," Liara said looking into his eyes.

"And I'm happy that you are," he said in return. It was a dark time for him, but Liara would be there for him like he was there for her after the fall of Thessia. The love she had for him numbed most of the pain that lingered in his heart.

* * *

**Author's note: **A little shorter than usual but the next one will be more interesting and it'll get the plot going. See you next chapter.

**Update:** If you noticed I moved some of the last chapter over and everything else is updated.


	6. Chapter 6

_ANN News Report: Earlier today the Alliance brass had announced they have been successful in negotiations for a ceasefire with the isolated militia group who took control of the nation of Venezuela. The militia group rose when their President declared marital law to be put under the nation's citizens to prevent them from provoking the Reapers advancing on the nation. Since the uprising and takeover of authority in the nation, the new leadership had isolated their nation even after the Crucible was activated and destroyed the Reapers._

_Today, Alliance officials are now negotiating with the leaders to give aid and resources to the militarized nation to hopefully rebuild their nation and to improve their relationship with Earth and the rest of the Galaxy._

_In other news, Alliance forces have made large strides in their campaign to liberate the African nations occupied by the many Warlords who took over during the Reaper conflict. Using precision strikes against camps and strongholds, the insurgents' strength was diminished effectively while civilian casualties were reported to be minimal. The even more surprising factor was the involvement of several regiments of Krogan who volunteered to aid in the liberation of the African continent. With the heavy support of the Krogan, both Alliance and Krogan casualties were reported to be minimal. The Nations who have been liberated so far have had trouble getting along with Alliance presence, but many people have praised the Alliance since the end of the Reaper war with their action in defeating the greatest threat the galaxy has known. It will only be a matter of time if the nations of the world still healing from the scars the Reapers had given them will be able to trust and cooperate with the Alliance. But along with the rest of the galaxy, optimism is still growing._

* * *

The rest of the day went rather quickly for Shepard. After Liara accompanied him for several more hours, Shepard told her that she should go to continue her work as the Shadow Broker. And as much as Liara hated to admit it, she still had a responsibility as the most powerful information broker in the galaxy. She gave him a long kiss before heading out. Before she did, she said that she had a feed from the hospital room camera so she'll be able to watch him from the Normandy. Shepard caught that she didn't say "monitor" him because that would sound much more awkward than it actually was. Although, it might be the other way around. But regardless, Shepard was grateful that he had another person watching over him.

So the rest of the day was Shepard alone in the hospital. All he could do now was enjoy the scenery outside his window and see what was happening in the galaxy through the news. The first thing he saw was the condition of the Citadel. The amount of energy that ran through the station to caused that much damage must have been overwhelming. Two of the five wards broke off completely from halfway down the arms while the other three had ripped edges and holes along them. He felt bad for all those people who were trapped on the station when the reapers took it over. And seeing thousands must have perished when it broke apart. But considering that Shepard had seen Al-Julani reporting the previous day and Conrad in one of her interviews, it meant that at least some of the inhabitants survived and were moved to Earth's surface. From the more recent footage, the major pieces of the Citadel had been towed back into place and were starting to be fused back with the main part of the station.

When he saw images of the Relays, he understood why it was easy and quick for the fleets to fix them. The rings of the jump mechanism were broken into four pieces and two pieces of the body were broken off. So all that needed to happen was to put the pieces together like a simple puzzle and weld them back together. The reports said that once the relay was put back together, the reactivation was the same as it was when humanity activated the relay for the first time less than half a century ago. And the rest of the Relays didn't take long afterwards with the help of the rest of the fleets in the systems outside of Sol. And the greatest help came from the Rachni. And all the Shepard could do was give a smile to acknowledge the creatures he spared from becoming extinct again.

For the rest of the galaxy, with the Relays opened again and allowing supply lines to be reestablished, the reconstruction seemed to be going rather well with everyone working together. Humanity was rebuilding and repopulating their colonies so they would be able to produce the much needed crops to feed the remaining refugees and the populace on Earth who had to endure the hell of the Reaper onslaught while he had to leave them behind to get help. Of the 11 Billion people on Earth, nearly 3 billion had died from the war. Seeing how many people died made it uneasy for Shepard. If he'd been quicker or hadn't failed on Thessia, would the casualty list be several million or at least several thousand less? Even with all the experience he had, Shepard still couldn't get shrug off the heavy feelings. They always lingered even when he performed his best.

Most of the losses was from the harvest itself but a lot was from the indoctrinated leaders who turned their countries into police states to suppress the populace. Adding insult to injury, the usual crime and warlords, who thrived in the third world countries, took advantage of the chaos and fought each other for control even for a minute, just like the gangs on Omega when Cerberus was trying to occupy it. And even now with the Reapers gone, there was still unrest in several third world countries with warlords taking advantage of the situation.

Thankfully the Alliance was able to suppress the warlords and liberate the occupied nations thanks to the help they received from outside. The help from outside, of course, was the Krogan. With their numbers now expanding again, Wrex had publicly said they would do their part for the galaxy while they looked after their people on Tuckunka. The way that they could help was to allow themselves to be hired as body guards for the colonies and home worlds of council space. In return, the pay they received would mostly go to fund Tuckunka's reconstruction. When put into that perspective, it wasn't directly mercenary work although it technically was. The ones sent to Earth crushed the warlords with very little casualties on their end. Plus civilian casualties were minimal thanks to careful planning and strategic strikes against the camps and leaders.

As for the other nations not occupied by the warlords, thankfully the Alliance was handling the situation well in stabilizing many regions ruined by the Reapers and the indoctrinated leaders using their own forces against their people. Most of the time, the Alliance succeeded through diplomacy like they did with Venezuela. The people went through hell when their leader declared martial law and let them suffer even more. After they overthrew their government and stuck it out by themselves until the Reapers were destroyed, they were very, very wary about the Alliance and any one else. But thankfully, with promises of food and aid along with plans to improve the infrastructure of the nation, the people stood down and allowed the Alliance to help patch up their wounds. With Venezuela and several other nations who were in Venezuela's situation standing down and allowing the Alliance to help them, Earth was making progress in healing itself.

The rest of the news covered the basic things about what was happening with all the council worlds. Palavin seemed to have fared slightly better than Earth although the Turian fleets took more of a beating and the fight to keep ground from being lost was more costly than the Guerrilla tactics Anderson used on Earth with no fleet support. But with supplies coming in, Palavin was well taken care of. Thessia, on the other hand fared worse. Worse in that the Matriarchs had to relocate their government to Illium for the time being while the reconstruction happened. As for Surkesh, the Reapers never toughed it until mere days before the fleets left for Earth. When the Crucible was activated, Serkesh was left with only slight damage that the Salerian Union fixed easily with the money out of its own pocket.

And with the subject of Serkesh, once their reconstruction was completed, unrest was growing with Dalatrass Linron spewing her bullshit about the Krogan and other supporters of them. And there was the fact of their reluctance to support the fleets for the war effort. Because of only a small splinter of the Salerian military, the Third Fleet and the Special tasks group lead by Major Karrihe, being given to Shepard under the table by Councilor Valern, the Union was facing protests by its own citizens and many outside voices. Shepard saw footage of protesters holding up charming signs that said things that were unkind to the Union. The most memorable one Shepard saw said:

"Where were you when Shepard saved us?"

The Dalatrass and the Union were trying to justify themselves and even went as far as to say they were getting around to give Shepard full support before the assault on Earth but didn't get around to it in time. Typical political shielding to protect their asses. All that Shepard could do was roll his eyes.

With the Citadel in shambles, the council was relocated to temporarily to Illium along with the Asari government. The original council members, Tevos, Valern, and Sparatus, had survived when they escaped from the Citadel during its capture by the reapers. But with the war over, all three of them had resigned their positions. Their reasons were their own but many of them shared similarities. One of the largest was because of Shepard's efforts. Because of several public disclosers of Shepard's meetings with the council, the members' reluctance to act and prepare for the Reaper invasion took a toll on each of their reputation. Sparatus had little reasons to resign from his position but he decided his time was over and he retired from politics. Tevos took a harder beating primarily for the Asari's secret of the functional Prothean beacon in their temple. And when the rumors of her 'relationship' with Aria T'loak spread to the extranet, she knew she couldn't stay where she was. So she stepped down from her position to attend to her people's reconstruction. Valern was a mixed bag. He was a strong supporter of the Dalatrass in the past but his efforts of finding the dirt on Udina and giving Shepard the Third Fleet under the table made up for some of his damaged reputation. He was now opposed to the Dalatrass's ideals but with his past actions, he knew it would be best for him to step down for the sake of not only the Salerian people but for all the others, including the Krogan. For their closing statements on their resignations, they had a common reasoning of allowing a new generation of leaders, particularly those who where more open to the other species, to take the lead for a new direction that Shepard himself opened up for them. And the final change to the Council was its new members. After contributing to the community for longer than humanity had, the Volus, Elcor and Hanar were finally given their long awaited seats on the council as a reward for their invaluable contributions to the war effort.

There wasn't much news on the Drell, having small numbers and remained mostly the servant race to the Hanar, or the Batarians or even the Quirans for both of their hush-hush behavior lately. The Krogan were more included as they were granted their colony worlds back and the campaign lead by the Krogan sympathizers to promote their image better. The news of what was happening out in the Terminus systems however was very bleak.

Overall, everything seemed to be going very well for Citadel space. It was what Shepard had hoped for. Earth and the Alliance was making a comeback along with the other council races with many of the races getting a new slate to build up on. When Shepard wasn't watching the news, he was obviously resting in his bed with Liara's feed from the camera watching over him. But he also received more visits from more familiar faces.

"Glad to see you're still alive," Shepard said when Jacob Taylor arrived.

"Same to you," Jacob said. "I'm just glad Miranda didn't have to rebuild you again."

"I can hardly believe it myself either," Shepard said.

"Well the important thing is you've made it back. This galaxy's happy that you did."

"Yeah," Shepard smiled. "How's Brynn doing?"

"She's due in a few weeks. And...," Jacob brought his hand up to show him the ring. "I finally tied the knot."

After Shepard pulled Jacob and the other scientists on Gellix out when Cerberus was closing in, Jacob told him about his relationship with the leader Dr. Brynn Cole. He later told him that he was going to be a father. Now that the war was over, they had finally had time to officially get together.

"Congratulations Jacob. I wish I were there for the wedding," Shepard said.

"It's alright," Jacob smiled. "You needed to concentrate on surviving. Several of the others came so they can tell you how it went."

"Alright," Shepard smiled. "Are you ready to be a father?"

"I admit I'm still a little nervous about it. But I know that I can do it. More than I ever was before."

"You'll do a good job. I know you will."

"I know," Jacob smiled. "And I know that you'll be a good one too when the time comes."

Shepard came to his realization when he heard Jacob's comment. _Little Blue Children._ Just like he promised Liara after their adventure to take down the Shadow Broker. Now that it was over, it was the time to rebuilt. Not just the fleets and buildings but the numbers and will of the people. And one of those was the children who will be told the stories of the fight against the Reapers.

"Sorry. Did I scare you for a moment," Jacob said.

Shepard just smiled for a second. "Well I do have a lot of promises to keep since I'm still alive."

"You defiantly do," Jacob said. "But while you're doing that, you'll need to come over to that bar in Rio. After everything you had to do, you deserve a few drinks."

"I suppose I do," there's no doubt that there'd be a large celebration for him once he gets out on his two feet. "Thanks for stopping by Jacob."

"Great seeing you Shepard," Jacob gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked out.

The day dragged on for a little longer until Shepard's next vaster came along.

"Well, look who's still alive after finally ripping the guts out of the beast," Zaeed said. He held a long black leather box in his hand.

"I'm surprised you've come by Zaeed," Shepard said. "Thought maybe you'd be heading out to find more work now that the war's over."

"I was but I eventually came back here," Zaeed said. "There's some action happening out in the Terminus system now that the Relays are opened up again. But I came back here for some action against the scum warlords playing wannabe kings. Easy money to be made there with easy assholes to pop."

"Just as long as you don't risk the lives of the innocents again," Shepard said.

"Don't worry Shepard. I've given myself restraints ever since you talked sense into me on Zorya. And besides the bastard's dead anyway so there'd be no reason for me to jeopardize an op ever again."

By "bastard's dead", it can only mean one thing.

"Vido's dead?" Shepard asked.

Vido. The man who betrayed Zaeed and left him for dead after they founded the Blue Suns together. After 20 years of hunting him down, Zaeed had found him on Zorya with Shepard's help. They were doing well against the mercs but Zaeed let his personal vendetta get the better of him when he caused Shepard to deviate from the mission to save the slaves working in the plant that was set ablaze. In the end, Vido escaped with and angry Zaeed shooting aimlessly at the escape gunship. But after a discipline talk with him, Zaeed managed to put aside the vendetta to accomplish the suicide mission with him surviving along with the others.

"Killed by his own men when the Blue Suns decided to buddy up with Aria. Can't say I've had the satisfaction of ripping his heart out myself but at least the bastard finally got what he deserved."

Well at least one scum of the galaxy was dealt with. But it did give Shepard concern about what Aira was doing with all three of the biggest merc groups, the Blue Suns, Eclipse and the Blood Pack all under her banner. The news on the Terminus system was sketchy so he didn't know much about what was happening.

"Anyway I've brought you something."

Zaeed brought up the leather box and opened it. Inside was something that shined from the lights above his head.

"A Cerberus Phantom sword?"

"There was a raid that I was around to fight against. The bitch got behind me when I had her cornered. But I fired a concussive shot right in her gut before she got close enough to kill me with this thing. Broke her barrier and I managed put her to the ground with my bare hands and smash her skull with my boot."

"Then this your trophy not mine," Shepard said.

"Please, I've got at least five of these things. Besides you've killed the biggest Cerberus fucker and you broke his sword. You need to get a replacement."

Shepard remembered the rematch he had against Kai Leng at Cronos station when he went in to recover what Kai Leng had stolen from him on Thessia. Once Leng was down, he had somehow mustered enough energy to try and put the blade into Shepard's heart from behind him. But Shepard saw it coming and shattered the sword that had taken the life of Thane Krios and put an Omni-blade into the assassin's heart.

"Yeah well that sword needed to be broken. But thanks Zaeed."

"Right," He placed the case against the nightstand next to Shepard's bed. "Now you'd better get off your ass soon. You've got to stand over the corpses of those metal squid bastards that you've sent back to hell."

"I'll get on that. See you around."

Zaeed walked out the door. He wasn't a man who could be easily changed. Mercenaries were hard to see things in a different light than just getting a good pay out of their work. And considering he did what he did for over 20 years, it was going to be harder still. But at least Zaeed made a promise to watch his fire and think before acting in his line of work. That was enough.

Another hour passed and the next visitor arrived. She was one he was really happy to see.

"Kasumi, it's good to see you."

"Same to you, Shep," Kasumi said with her playful smile.

"What have you been up to now?" he asked.

"Been using the fortunes I've picked up to fund relief charities, mostly _Help a Dream_. As for the physical part, I've helped several refugees on their way but I've found many opportunities to do what I do best. Plus I've been working part time for the Shadow Broker."

_Part time? Shadow Broker?_

"You're stealing information now?" He asked.

"Not quite as fun as stealing priceless art or fun toys in labs, but information's more valuable than any of those I've found out. And when getting the information's too easy, I grab a few extra things to take along with me. Speaking of which."

Kasumi activated her Omni-tool and the TV monitor turned on.

* * *

_For the first time since 2098, the head of the Statue of Liberty has been returned to the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. When the original Statue of Liberty was destroyed as the spark that ignited the second American Civil War, the original head of the statue was moved to the Museum while the statue was to be rebuilt. Two years after the head was moved, the battle of Washington took its toll on the city and the head had disappeared and was never seen then. Today marks the historic return of the artifact to where it belongs. The historians who have restored the museum and the artifacts that weren't destroyed in the Reaper war say they have no idea about who delivered the head or how it was acquired. Nevertheless, it is a good day for humanity as a part of their history has found its way back to be shared with the galaxy._

* * *

Even though Shepard knew he shouldn't have been surprised, he still was. The entire statue head returned to the Museum's doorstep?

"I suppose it took awhile to track that down when we were finished on Bekenstein?" Shepard asked.

"It took some digging and a helpful tip from the Shadow Broker once the Relay network was repaired, but it was a rather easy pluck once I found it," Kasumi said with her playful smile she always wore on her face.

"Well I'm glad you don't just steal things just for yourself," Shepard said. That was one of the redeeming qualities that Kasumi had. She might have a bad habit of stealing things that weren't hers, but when she stole things not for herself, she stole sometimes for others. Much like how she stole, or rather rescued, a little girl from slavers. In return, the girl painted a picture for Kasumi and she cherished it more than any of her prized possessions. And before their party on the Citadel, she robbed the Silversun strip casino vault and sent all the money to war effort and local charities to use to help the people of the Galaxy.

"I'm glad to have you on the team," Shepard said.

"Thank you, Shep," She said. "By the way, I think I said that the drinks are on me once it was all over. So once you get out, I'll pay."

"We'll meet up with Jacob in Rio when it's time," Shepard said.

"Alright then. Give me a call once you're on your feet. I'll see you around."

She was about to leave before she stopped and turned back around.

"Oh, before I leave, I have something for you," Kasumi reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small device. "I've been meeting with Tali and we've made a custom Omni-tool for you. All your personal information has been synced to it so you can now receive calls and play around with it like your old one."

She handed it over the Shepard and he carefully put it on.

"Thanks Kasumi," Shepard said.

Kasumi walked out the door soon after. ed and put his head back down on his pillow and dosed off for a few more minutes. When he woke up, he noticed that his new Omni-tool was blinking. He activated it and swiped it toward the TV. The screen lit up to show another familiar face that Shepard was happy to see.

"Shepard," Samara said with a warm smile. "It's very good to see you have lived through the final hour."

"It's good to see you too Samara," Shepard said. "How are you doing?"

"There is much to be done now that the Reapers are defeated. I've returned to Thessia to see what I can do for me people."

"I'm sorry about what happened. I was there when it fell. I just wish I could have done something then." If he hadn't let Kai Lang get the better of him...

"You did do something," Samara said. "Something that saved not only Thessia but every world in the Galaxy. All of us are indebted to you for what you have been able to accomplish."

There was that. And all the news feeds of the people giving their respects to him for being the savior of the Galaxy told him the same thing. If he didn't survive any of that, no one else, including Samara and her only remaining daughter, would not have survived. Speaking of which...

"How's Falere doing?" he asked.

Samara took small pause before she answered. "We have been separated for quite some time after the crucible was activated. But she has been able to rebuild a part of the monastery and survived long enough until I was able to come to her. The Asari are now rebuilding it and she is under my protection in the mean time."

"Well I'm happy that you still have a family to come back to," Shepard said.

"As am I for you," Samara replied. "I am sorry for Anderson. I understand he was a father to you."

"The only one I've known," Shepard said with a heavy heart. "It's hard losing close friends and family. But I know that I've made him proud in the end."

"Him and every family in the galaxy. I'm happy for you and I wish you the best when you tell your children your story."

"Any advice on how to raise Asari children?" Sheaprd asked being reminded of his indefinite future.

"Only that you love them with all your heart and devotion. Something that I wasn't capable of doing."

Samara did seem to feel a little disheartened when she realized that two of her family were gone. One of them had to die by her hand to end her psychotic killing spree while the other was being turned into a Reaper monster and stayed behind to activate the bomb to purge the monastery. But Shepard felt that Samara was there for her children in the end because she returned to save Falere. And when the monastery was destroyed and her last Ardat-Yakshi was outside a monastery, Samara had to follow her code. But instead of killing her last daughter as the code would have her do, she pulled her gun on herself to let Falere live. But with Shepard's intervention, Samara was stopped to hear that Falere would stay in what was left of the monastery saying that she had made her choice to stay no matter the opportunity to leave. In the end, both mother and daughter were alive.

"You still have Falere because you came for her. You've done what you did. I think you're a good person and a good parent to be honest."

"I suppose you are right," Samara gave a warming smile to him. "Thank you Shepard. May you continue your recovery to full health."

The screen when black when the call ended. It was amazing how much devotion Samara had to uphold a moral code almost like a machine following a directive that was given to it. But when Shepard listened to her story of her years as an armature Asari and a mercenary, he knew that she was a person behind all the unhesitant acts of swift justice. It was good that she had at least one thing left in the galaxy to hold onto.

All and all, everything seemed to be excellent for the galaxy. Not perfect, but better in many ways than before. At that moment, he looked out the window to see the evening light fad into night. He looked up at the camera, the one that Liara was looking through while she worked tirelessly monitoring the rest of the galaxy. With a smile, Shepard lifted his hand from his side, the pain no longer overwhelming but just sore, and brought his hand up to his lips. He gave it a kiss and lifted it up toward the camera. No doubt Liara would be doing the same thing. Instead of calling Shepard to with him good night, Liara left him be. He closed his eyes and rested again.

* * *

Shepard walked down the hallways of the hospital with Miranda by his side. Ahead of them, the Krogan bodyguard who guarded his room lead the way. Funny that he got a Krogan for a guard at the door. Obviously Wrex was a little more than generous about lending his soldiers for protection. And considering that he was more than a celebrity to many, it would make sense that he'd need this much protection while he was venerable. But it did make it uneasy for the rest of the patients and the doctors in the hospital seeing a towering war machine with a shot gun roaming the halls or standing at the door like a statue who'll kill you if you look at him the wrong way.

After two more days of resting, Miranda finally approved Shepard to try to get on his feet. Liara was there to help him after finally catching a break for the day. Because of Shepard's long nap, his body was able to heal most of the damage. But having not moved his body for five months, the challenge he had to overcome was the stiffness. Thankfully, his newly repaired implants Miranda put into him held out and made his obstacle easier to overcome. The pain was only the sore kind of pain, the kind that Shepard could get used to in a short amount of time. He managed to get on his feet and took a slow walk across the hospital room to where Liara was waiting to hold him in her arms. His posture was stable and he could walk well if he took it steady. But he didn't deny that he felt the weak feeling that could cause him to tumble over so he was given a cane to support himself for a little while.

Today, Miranda cleared him to walk around the hospital as long as he doesn't stress his body too much and went slow. When Shepard was given a set of his cloths, some blue jeans and a grey T-shirt, he received a message that he had some visitors down in the cafeteria. Good thing too because Shepard could be able to have his breakfast too.

He walked down to see the cafeteria filled with several patients and doctors at the tables. At one table, Shepard saw four people sitting at it and they all looked his way. Garrus, Tali, and Kaidan sat in the chairs while Liara stood by two empty ones. When she saw him, she immediately walked up to him. The Krogan, who noticed who the person was coming toward him, stood aside to let her pass.

"I'm doing alright," Shepard said before Liara said anything.

"He'll be fine as long as he doesn't go around running or jumping," Miranda said to vouch for him. "I'll let you get to it. Come on back to the room once you're finished."

Miranda turned back into the hallway to let Shepard be brought to the table by Liara. The table was meant for four people but Liara had brought up an extra chair to sit next to him.

"Feeling better Shepard?" Tali asked as Shepard and Liara took their seats.

"I'm managing," Shepard said. "Feels good to be up and about again. Couldn't really stand staying still for a long time."

"Same way I felt," Kaiden said referring to his time in the Hurta Memorial Hospital after he was injured on Mars.

"I saw you had some more visitors yesterday," Liara said. Of course she would know because of her camera feed.

"Don't worry I muted the audio," she said after she saw him raise an eyebrow.

"I think that would still count as a privacy invasion," Tali said. She did make a point about that. Seeing how the Shadow Broker had an eye and ear in every form at almost every corner of the galaxy, it just seemed a little creepy to be able to spy on every conversation or private activity people were doing. But Shepard didn't dwell on it.

"Jacob dropped by and showed me his ring. Said some of you attended the wedding."

"It was fun," Liara said. "I'm sorry you weren't awake when it happened."

"Yeah well Jacob said it was alright. He said he'd take me to the bar in Rio once I get out."

"We'd defiantly be happy to join you," Tali said. "After everything that's happened, we deserve another party."

Shepard smiled again. Yeah. It was certainly another good time to let off steam now that it was all over. Instead of partying to loosen themselves before the final fight, they can party to celebrate the end of the fight and him surviving.

"Zaeed came along after Jacob. He gave me a Cerberus phantom sword as a gift. I'm debating on whether or not to keep it."

Garrus looked over at Kaiden and they shared a look that meant that they were unsure about something.

"What?" Shepard said.

"Well the thing is," Garrus said. "Ever since you activated the Crucible, people have been recognizing you as their hero. So they've felt the need to contribute to pay you back for what you did for them."

Shepard could feel the buildup. So he asked the question to let it go. "Repay me in what way?"

"Well let's say that all the gifts could barley all fit in a dozen freighters," Kaiden said.

_That much?_

"Nearly half of it is alcohol," Garrus put in on the end. "Other are pieces of art, statues and artifacts the leaders and the aristocrats wanted you to have. The others that don't take up space are memberships and discounts for almost every market in the galaxy. Weapons, cars, drinks you name it. And the rest are pictures all the little kids made for you to see how much they're happy to have you to look up to when they grow up. Just goes to show how much the galaxy loves you now."

"Well I'll have to go through it all at some point," Shepard knew he was going to have to get rid of some of the stuff eventually. But that would hurt a lot of people's feelings if they found out.

"Anyone else come by?" Tali asked moving the conversation along.

"Kasumi dropped by after Zaeed.

She showed me she gave the History Museum in D.C. a irreplaceable gift back to them," he looked over at Liara. "With some help from help from the Shadow Broker I heard."

"The Statue of Liberty's head was easy to pick up the trail after she gave me the information after I took over the position," Liara said careful to keep her voice down so no one could over hear too easily. "And she no doubt told you about her part time work for me?"

Shepard nodded.

"Her infiltration skills have helped me a great deal to keep the powers-that-be under my watch," Liara said. "With her help she opened many backdoors to many major corporate servers so I could see if they're up to anything dirty."

"Nothing would be worse than destroying the Reapers only to have the bureaucrats take the galaxy over instead," Garrus said.

"To be honest, they've already controlled the galaxy before the Reapers arrived," Liara said. "But now that their security is venerable, I was able to put agents into their staff to keep an eye on things. Kasumi's efforts have made the jobs a lot easier thanks to her efforts on Illium and Noveria."

Hearing all of that reminded Shepard of the things Liara did when she became the next Shadow Broker. Some of them included a smear campaign against a corrupt politician and a tried, but failed, exposure of the Blue Suns' corruption of turning on their employers. With her agents and Kasumi's help, they'd be able to keep an eye out for any funny bureaucrat from taking advantage of the galaxy's weakened state. Expose the truth and let the populace take over.

"Well at least you two have something to do," Shepard said to Liara. "She gave me a little gift that was made by her and Tali she told me," he looked over at Tali and held out his bare palm but kept his new Omni-tool un activated.

"We did our best to make it as top of the line as it be. Does it work?"

"It worked when Samara gave me a call. She said Falere's doing good and she's been helping on Thessia."

He knew that brining up Thessia was sensitive but with what he heard, it was looking good for the Asari homeworld from the news reels. Shepard looked over at Liara.

"Despite everything that's happened, things are looking good now," Liara said. "It'll take longer to rebuild than Earth but it's like you said, 'It can be rebuilt.'"

Shepard's mind felt a pause of relief. After Thessia, Liara was torn apart like he was when he left Earth behind. He was more angry that he failed to get the VI to know where the Catalyst was and he watched as Thessia fall to the Reaper's onslaught. But when he saw Liara angry and sad about the truth of the origins of the Asari's culture was a manipulation of the Protheans in the previous cycle and the fall of her world, he felt his deeper part of his soul torn out of him. But he managed to keep his cool long enough to cheer Liara up to get back to work with a focused mind.

"I've only seen a few news feeds when I was resting. How are the Asari handling our discovery at the temple?"

Shepard could sense the tension in Liara. To have known that the Asari had held back a prothean beacon since the beginning of their space flight era was very taxing. The repercussions of holding back an artifact for selfish purposes would be sever when they would face the Citadel Council.

"The Matriarchs have been receiving fire from everyone for keeping the beacon a secret."

"But how are you handling it?" She mattered more than any government. Even Humanity's.

"There's always things to be ashamed about being a part of a certain species that go with the things to be proud of," Liara said. "I, as myself, have put up statements that the information you unlocked from the beacon couldn't have been utilized without the cipher you received. But I've left it at that. The rest of the laws the Asari broke need to be dealt with accordingly."

The things she said about recognizing the things to be ashamed of about being a part of a species was something that Shepard was familiar with. With what he learned about humanity's bloody history, his own experience growing up on the streets, what he heard from the other races about Humanity's aggressive nature when it came to colonization and defense and to Cerberus itself, he could relate.

"So you don't care what happens to your people's government?"

"It's not my place to say. The truth has been spoken and the people need to decide what to do with it."

"It's not all that bad," Garrus broke into the conversation. "With what's happening between the Turian Hierarchy and the Krogan Clans, we've been healing our relationship faster than we thought was possible. And that's beginning to be seen by the people who are pointing their fingers at the Asari."

Garrus did have a point. There were reasons to be optimistic now that the nightmare was over.

"So you think that the heat will come off eventually?" Shepard asked.

"May take a little more time, but people will get over it and work with each other. It's a time to forgive each other and move on."

Shepard certainly hoped so. After the First Contact War, the Humans and Turians needed time to cool down and they got along rather well in a short amount of time. Hopefully it can be as quick as that.

"So how are things with the Krogan anyway," he asked Garrus. "I saw from the feeds that Clan Urdnot's sending their soldiers to act as body guards and they even helped deal with some Warlords here on Earth."

"We've made an official cooperation pact with each other. They're offering their services doing what they do best for Citadel space while we help in reconstruction on Tuchunka."

"Is everyone playing nice?" Shepard asked.

"Many Krogan are still pissed about the Dalatrass and the Salerian Union but not enough to hate the salerian species thanks to what Mordin did for all of them. And with Bakara's help, the hatred and aggressive nature is easing faster than anyone expected."

"That's good to know," Shepard said. "But that Dalatrass has to be a big thorn in the side for you isn't it?"

"It is but not for long," Liara said.

Shepard looked over at Liara. Knowing her line of work he had an idea about what she had to say.

"How so?" he asked.

"I have a recording of your conversation with Dalatrass Leaion about bribing you to sabotage the genophage. I've also kept many secrets and signs of corruption within the Union that have been there since before I took over. If you put it all together, the Union's going to have a lot to answer for. Much more than the Asari do now."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Shepard said. "Many Krogan would get angry if they knew that one of the Salerian leaders tried to keep me and Mordin from saving their species."

"It would under previous circumstances. But there's been tension building within the Salerian Military. They've been unhappy about not helping you retake Earth and save the galaxy."

"I've seen vids of protestors calling the Dalatrass out for not helping us," Shepard said.

"It's the driving factor. It's not the time but soon I'll leak the information for the people to see how selfish the dalatrass is."

"Well I hope that things will go well and not get out of hand."

"Don't worry Shepard, I know what to do."

That she did. After that long conversation, Liara and Tali went up to the cafeteria and gathered up some food for the group. That left Shepard with Kaidan and Garrus at the table.

"So I've never got the chance to ask you?" Shepard looked over at Kaidan. "What have you been up to when I was asleep?"

"We were assigned to make supply runs for the reconstruction effort," Kaiden said. "Hackett made sure that we'd be able to keep it close to the Sol system so we could come to you as quick as we could when you woke up. And since the ship didn't have its acting commander, well..." Kaidan paused looking a little uneasy. "I basically took the helm being the next Alliance officer in line."

"There's no one else I would have entrusted the Normandy to besides you Kaiden."

Kaidan gave a small grin and a nod to accompany it. "Thanks Commander. It means a lot."

Liara and Tali returned with their food and everyone began to dig in. Luckily Tali brought back food that she and Garrus could eat. Everyone was silent for awhile as they ate their breakfast. As they did, Shepard's mind ran through all the things that needed to know about. One of them stuck in his head and he felt he needed to get it out of his system.

"I know it's not something I should bring up but... do you know what Joker's been up to?"

The group stayed silent but they looked at each other with concerning glances. Tali was the one to talk about it.

"He's been at the bar."

Typical. It was something that Shepard would have done after something so terrible happened in his life. It was hard for Shepard knowing that one of his closest colleges was distancing himself and drowning out the misery with alcohol. When something happened that was catastrophic to you, you'd want to drown it away in the murkiness of alcohol.

"I've tried to talk to him later yesterday but he was very drunk and he said some things," Liara said with some regret in her voice.

"Like what?" Shepard said with concern.

Shepard could read the uneasiness in Liara's eyes as she formed her words. "He said he did his duty for you and pulled you out of many hot spots and you repaid him with killing the one person he cared for. And he talked about how unfair it was that you got to live your life with me while he had no one."

The sting had come even before Liara finished her recount. He was very happy to have lived to see Liara again. But when he looked back at the choice that he had to make, the thoughts of ensuring that EDI would survive while he truly died as a human person took a hold of his heart. Prior to assaulting Cronos station, Joker was afraid when EDI was going onto the station. He told Shepard to keep her safe. He did, until the final moment when the fate of the galaxy bore down on his shoulders.

"Shepard," Liara said before he could descend deeper into grief. "You know as well as I that he didn't mean what he said."

After many battles and many missions with Joker, Shepard knew that Joker wouldn't actually say and mean those things to people related to him. Joker did say he still felt guilty when Shepard died on the SR-1 when he came to get Joker out of the cockpit. Shepard nodded in response to Liara's words showing he understood. Like Kaiden said, he just needed time. It was time to move on with the subject. Shepard nodded and looked up at Kaidan.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you Kaiden."

"What is it?"

"What did you mean when you said there were good things that came out by activating the Crucible?"

Kaiden took a pause to think about his response.

"Well you were given another hard choice. You went through with it and you made one of those choices instead of not choosing anything. It was like what you did on Virmire when you chose to come for me instead of Ash. It wasn't easy for you to do and I didn't take it well either. But you saved one of us because you made a choice instead of leaving us both behind."

Kaidan did have a point. If he didn't act on Virmire, he would have two of his squad dead instead of one.

"You knew that we'd all fail fighting the Reapers by ourselves without the Crucible. If you didn't make a choice we'd all have failed and be dead and the next cycle would start."

On the Citadel, the AI that controlled the Reapers had given him three ways to activate the Crucible, each one with a number of good and bad side effects. When he looked at the picture that was presented back then, he had united almost the entire galaxy and they had packed a pretty big punch against the Reapers when they fought together. But the thought of him not using the Crucible at all was something that was unthinkable. Since the war began, Hackett had told him that even with everyone's combined strength, they couldn't win the war conventionally. They needed the Crucible to work. And besides, why would he let more people die, including his friends, in the long run? Well whatever the reason he put it out of his mind.

"Thanks Kaidan," Shepard said to him. "I know it's not much but thanks."

"Anytime Shepard," Kaidan said. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Shepard thought about the reports he saw and he came around to one of them.

"I saw the vids of what happened to the Citadel after the crucible fired. Seeing Al-Julini and Conrad again says that many of the inhabitants survived right?"

Garrus nodded.

"When the fleets returned, several ships went over to explore the ruins," Garrus said. "Many of the people took cover in the wards and the presidium and held off the Reapers as best they could. When the blast happened several people perished in the further reaches of the wards but most of them in the upper wards and presidium pulled through the blast and survived until the fleets took them down to the surface. Bailey's alright and Kelly Chambers said hi when I ran into her in the camp they were moved to. And Jenna's still alive and Doctor Michel's doing alright too."

Hearing those names gave Shepard relief. Bailey, Kelly, Michel and even Jenna who saved Conrad's life. It was then that Shepard remembered. He looked over at Liara.

"What about your father, Liara? Atheta?"

During some down time at Apollo's cafe on the presidium, Shepard ran into Matriarch Atheta who came from Illium to the Citadel to keep an eye on Liara for the Asari Matriarchs. They only knew that she was a powerful information broker, not _the_ most powerful and secretive one. Plus Shepard's relationship with her aroused their suspicion due to his past with Cerberus. After Atheta told him that she was Liara's "father," he went over to Liara and convinced her to go and talk to her. Whatever their conversation came to, Liara informed Shepard that Atheta had told some friends of hers, Asari Commandos to be precise, would join the war effort with the rest of the fleets that Shepard was gathering. When Liara talked to him about her father-daughter moment, she avoided most of the details but she said that Atheta was the best father a girl could wish for when she told her of the Commandos joining.

Liara was silent for a moment and her eyes showed that the news was going to be bad. Shepard braced himself.

"She was injured when the Reapers took the Citadel. She survived the crucible's blast but..." Liara paused with pain in her voice. "Her injury was too much in the end."

Hearing the words crushed Shepard yet again. First her mother and now her Asari father had just died. He was grateful that more and more people he knew were still alive, but it didn't ease any of the pain of losing one.

"I'm so sorry Liara," Shepard said to her sounding as empathic as he could be. He never knew his real parents growing up and they probably were dead too. But he managed to find happiness in his life in the end and he wanted her to be happy too.

"Thank you Shepard," Liara accepted Shepard's comfort. "I managed to visit her before she passed away. She said she was happy for me and said that she trusts you to be with me."

That was good to know. It still hurt Shepard knowing that, with his relationship with Liara, Atheta would have been his father-in-law some day. But he was happy for all the things that turned out okay for the both of them. She was alive and he was alive and on his feet. Soon he'd be out of the hospital to see what the galaxy had become thanks to his work.

Shepard didn't want to have everyone dwell on the issue for too long

"As for the Citadel itself, the large pieces of it were towed back into place," Tali picked up. "The Keepers are helping out as usual and several of the fleets' engineers are putting all the little pieces back together. And several Rachni came over to give a hand."

The Rachni. Yet again. They told him that they were a great help when the relays were being rebuilt and cut the time it took to get them back online.

"Well I'm glad they've decided to help," Shepard said with a grin. "It almost feels like they're overworking themselves since they helped build the Crucible and fix the Relays."

"The Queen said that she insisted she help on behalf of you actually," Garrus said.

"She said that? How?" The only way Shepard was able to communicate to the queen both times he encountered her was through a dead or dying organic host. On Noveria, she spoke through a dying Asari Commando while on Utukku it was several of the dead Krogen scouts in her chamber.

Tali spoke up. "When the Queen was moved to the construction site, she and her workers had found a way to communicate via an audio device. She was able to give verbal and textual messages to those around her. She said that she and her children felt that they still needed to repay you for saving their lives twice already and the Crucible wasn't enough. So they decided that they would help with the Relays and the Citadel as well as other colonies around the galaxy."

Garrus continued. "Now with her help and everyone else pulling double duty, it's estimated that the citadel will be back together and livable in about six months time. All the reconstruction of the smaller pieces and the buildings that were damaged will take around seven years with the Rachni's help."

It all seemed good seeing how things were turning out for the galaxy. Not only were the worlds being reconstructed, but the feuds that divided the races were being put aside.

"Thank you for coming by," Shepard said.

"We're glad to have," Kaidan said as he stood up along with Tali and Garrus. "Before we head out, we wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

"Now that you're awake and on your feet, Hackett wants to come over to see you for a debrief."

Hackett. Shepard nearly forgot about him. After all this time there'd be a lot to talk about with the Admiral. Not just telling him about what happened on the Citadel but about what's been happening behind the curtains that the news weren't covering.

"Thanks Kaidan," Shepard said.

"No problem," Tali said. "We'll see you in Rio once you're out."

The three left Liara and Shepard alone in the cafeteria. They only looked into each other's eyes for a long while until Shepard realized something.

"Liara, is my wardrobe still on the Normandy?"

"Actually I brought it over," she looked over at two brief cases that Shepard hadn't seen until now. "You'll be ready tomorrow."

Shepard smiled. "What would I do without you?"

He leaned in and gave her a warm kiss before they both rose to carry his things back up to his room.

* * *

**Author's Note:** First off, refusal shouldn't even be an option in my opinion because it's just stupid to even consider choosing it. But RPGs are supposed to have stupid decisions like choosing to have a one-night-stand with Morinth if you were stupid enough to choose her over Samara in the first place. So I had a little fun poking at that part of the EC ending. XD

This story has been very fun to make so far and I couldn't believe how much I've been able to get done in the last few days. I'm getting to work on Chapter 7 now and I'll have it up by next week on Sunday and the chapters beyond that will follow closely. As always, leave a review to tell me what you enjoyed and what I'm getting right and what I should improve on. A "You're doing great keep it up," comment is alright but comments that give more details about my work are the ones that help me keep going and improve myself to make this fic the best I can make it. Thank you for reading and see you on the next chapter. :)

**Update:** Letting you know that I've adjusted the chapter in addition to the others. Needed to have Shepard on his feet sooner because you all know he can't stay still for too long.


	7. Chapter 7

Liara popped open the briefcase to show his formal uniform neatly folded. She brought up the main uniform to reveal the other components of Shepard's uniform. With Liara's assistance, Shepard was able to maneuver his body to slip on the components of his uniform.

"How do I look?" He asked her once he was finished.

Liara took a pause and observed him up and down. She cracked a smile. "More hansom than the man who saved me from the geth all those years again."

He couldn't argue with that part. He looked over at the window to see his vague reflection. From it he could remember seeing Vancouver from his detained apartment right before the Reapers bore down on the city. But now, all he could see was a city licking its wounds without any danger or death to accompany it. And the person in the windows reflection was the one who made it happen.

Shepard turned back to Liara and put an arm around her and pulled her close. Together they exited the room where their Krogan bodyguard was waiting. He lead them down to the ground floor and arrived at the reception area. Shepard sat down on a couch in the lounge and Liara sat next to him. Their large and intimidating escort stood guard as the both of them waited for Hackett's arrival.

While Shepard waited for Hackett to arrive, he took the time to think about what he had seen so far after waking up. When he walked down the halls with Miranda the day before, he caught glimpses of several of patents in the other rooms. Most of them were humans but there were several non-humans too. Several of the patients looked out the window and saw him. When Shepard made eye contact with some of them, they looked back at him with a look that people gave in the presence of a hero. Shepard still had a hard time adjusting to the whole hero image. After his fight on Elysium, he was looked up to by the people on the planet but when time moved on, the people around the galaxy looked at him with a normal or appreciative look for him as a regular soldier. After Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, people, not just humans, were looking at him the same way as the people on Elysium did. When he died and was brought back two years later, he didn't get many looks except for some people he ran into who recognized him. The hero image had faded but not entirely. After the suicide mission, he didn't see many faces at all when he was under house arrest. But now, waking up on Earth, whose people had experienced the worst kind of hell that anyone could experience, the people looked up and saw what they believed to be their savior. And from the vids he saw of the people wishing him well on his recovery, they all shared the same look. Everyone everywhere had experienced firsthand the cruelness of the Reapers. It was now that he knew that he was a hero to everyone everywhere. But Shepard didn't feel like he was the one they should all have looked up to. If anyone was to be praised, it was Anderson. Without him, the people who perished would have been higher before Shepard returned with the fleets. He only hoped Anderson would get the recognition he deserved.

After ten minutes sitting with Liara nestled next to him, the front doors of the hospital opened and a pair of Alliance soldiers walked through. Behind them, Admiral Steven Hackett walked in. Shepard stood up slowly and walked around meet him. He raised his hand to salute him.

"At ease Commander," Hackett said. "No need to risk breaking your body for formalities."

Shepard eased his stance and brought his hand down to shack his hand. "It's good to see you sir."

"As it is to see you," Hackett smiled then turned his eyes to Liara. "And to you too Miss T'soni."

"Likewise," Liara said back. "Is it acceptable for the Commander to have company during this?"

"I'll permit it for you two since he already told you his story," Hackett said and looked back at Shepard.

"How has your recovery been?"

"I felt like a total mess when I woke up but with this lovely lady watching over me I was able to get better quicker. And Miranda's been able to fix me up without much trouble."

"Well that's good to know. Shall we get to it?"

"Absolutely," Shepard said.

The Krogan lead the way while the Alliance soldiers followed behind the trio through the lower level of the hospital to the meeting room that was arranged for them. Liara held Shepard's arm as they walked through the halls. When they arrived, they went in while the three soldiers stood guard outside.

The room had two couches facing each other and a small coffee table between them. It also had a large window that looked out to the outside of the hospital. On the streets past the fence of the building's courtyard, Shepard could see the gathering of the people he saw in the recording Tali showed him. Shepard put himself onto the couch with Liara by his side.

"Anything I can get you Shepard?" Hackett asked standing by a coffee and tea tray in the corner of the room.

"Some coffee wouldn't hurt honestly. One sugar and one cream."

"Anything for you miss T'soni?"

"Some tea would do thank you."

Hackett prepared the drinks and brought them over and placed them on the table including his own coffee brew. Then Hackett sat down with a data pad in his hand.

"Alright then," Hackett tapped data pad and placed it on the table further away from his coffee mug. It was set to record the conversation.

"So we'll start at the point where your story starts. Major Coats gave the report on what happened prior to the charge to the beam. Hammer managed to get to the ground with sustainable numbers and you were able to bring down the Reaper Destroyer with Thanix missiles. Miranda Lawson said you couldn't remember what happened after that part when you woke up, correct?"

"Not until the day after when my crew visited and I told the story to them," Shepard said. "I remember it all clear as day now."

"If you're certain then go right ahead and tell me."

Shepard took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus his mind to the final moments he experienced to bring the war to an end.

"Me, Anderson, and my squad, exited our transport when we were within several hundred yards of the beam. Harbinger had come down to the surface and he stood guarding it. Anderson gave the order and we charged. I ran as fast as a could and Harbinger started to vaporize everyone and everything coming down the hill. I was nearly there when a tank was hit and nearly fell on me. Liara and Garrus were following when another tank launched over me and nearly came down on them."

He looked back at Liara when the memory of seeing her injured so badly came to his mind.

"They were both wounded, Liara badly. I called the Normandy for an evac so I could get her on board and out of harm's way. Joker arrived and Garrus got her onboard."

The memory of what seemed to be his final goodbye to her stung him a bit. But he shrugged it off.

"I continued the push once they were out of the battle zone. But I was caught off balance out in the open when I was nearly there."

Shepard paused. "I don't know how, but after Harbinger's beam came at me, I was laying on my back alive but barley. When I came to, Harbinger was pulling out and I could hear Coats on the com ordering a retreat. I managed to get up and grab my side arm and I limped my way to the beam. There were a few more husks and a Marauder but I managed to kill them with my sidearm."

"While you were severely injured?" Hackett asked.

"I'm amazed that I was able to shoot straight enough at the time," Shepard said.

"It just shows how determined you were, Commander," Hackett said with some amazement. By his tone, Hackett was believing what Shepard was saying. "And where did you end up once you made it to the beam?"

"I wasn't sure," Shepard looked down to reach into his memories. "It was a dark hallway. My guess it was a Keeper tunnel. And it had-" Shepard choked when the memories came back to him. The piles of bodies littered around everywhere. It was something that couldn't be described with words themselves. "It was like those vids of the Holocaust in the 20th. Bodies everywhere and all of them dead. Seeing a vid is one thing but actually being there and smelling it..."

Shepard closed his eyes tightly and bent forward with his fists tightened. Liara placed he hand onto his back to comfort him.

"It's okay Shepard," she said to him. Her voice was soft and gentle and did give him some comfort. Shepard nodded and pulled his head back up. Of all the things Shepard had seen and experienced, that place was the worst. At the Collector base, it was horrifying to see the colonists in the pods being turn into bug juice right in front of him. But at that time, he had his team behind him to get to the heart of it to destroy it once and for all. But up there on the Citadel, he was badly injured and he was alone. All the confidence he had been diminished with his barrier of bravery and trust in his squad mates gone.

"You've had a lot to endure Commander," Hackett said. "More than anyone person."

"No one should endure anything like that. In fact no one should have endured anything from this war."

"That's why we'll do our best to keep the peace going for as long as it can."

Shepard knew Hackett meant what he said.

"So what happened after you arrived on the Citadel?" Hackett moved the debrief along.

"I landed on the floor and nearly lost consciousness. But Anderson called my name."

"So he did make it to the Citadel with you," Hackett said.

"He said he followed me up but we didn't end up in the same place. He told me he was in a hallway like the one I was in. He said he was moving down the hallway while I moved down mine. There was a door at the end that opened to a chasm with a platform crossing it. It lead to a circular room with a control panel. Anderson was there at it but..."

Shepard paused to contemplate the next thing he saw.

"But what?"

"The Illusive man was there, too," Shepard said. "His face was like half of a husk's face. He just looked like a total mad-man. When I saw him, he was controlling me and Anderson like puppets. It felt like what Benzia described to me when she was indoctrinated."

Shepard knew that Liara was next to him but her mother was the only person that described indoctrination to him.

"I could hear whispers in my head. It felt like there was something dark slithering down my spine and to every corner of my body. He talked about controlling the Reapers to bring humanity to the apex and dominate the galaxy like he always had. Anderson said he was out of his mind and I did too but he didn't listen. He continued to babble and he got irritated at us until..."

Shepard choked again before he told Hackett what happened next.

"Until he demonstrated his power. I felt his influence run down to my finger... and I pulled the trigger on Anderson."

Shepard told Liara about it before but him saying it again made him feel so bad about himself knowing that it was his gun that put the round into Anderson's torso. He tightened his fists and closed his eyes hard again.

"Shepard, listen to me," Hackett leaned forward from his seat. Shepard opened his eyes to look at him, "You are not the one who was responsible for Anderson's death."

"I know, I know," Shepard inhaled and leaned back into his seat with Liara by his side. "I just... I just miss him."

"He was a good man and a good friend. I know how you feel."

Shepard nodded. He continued.

"After that, I guess I managed to get through to the Illusive man somehow. He started to sound desperate about his goal to control them. But I said that he did what the Reapers wanted because we were fighting each other instead of fighting together."

"I guess the conversation ended up in your favor?" Hackett asked.

"It must have because he ended up taking Anderson's sidearm and he put a bullet in his head like Saren did. But he stayed dead. Anderson fell to the ground and I could move by myself again. I made it to the counsel and I opened the arms to see Earth and the Crucible coming our way."

"I see," Hackett said. "What happened after that?"

"I sat down with Anderson when it was done. He told me about the view of Earth. 'Best seats in the house' I told him. But he was starting to fade away and I told him to stay with me. Then..."

Shepard choked again.

"He told me I did good. And he was... proud of me."

Shepard dipped his head but nothing else. The gesture told Hackett of what happened after that. The silence stayed for a few seconds before Shepard pulled his head back up.

"I assume you received my transmission about the Crucible not firing?" Hackett asked.

"I heard it. I tried to get back up to the counsel but I couldn't. I passed out. When I woke up, I was somewhere else."

"Where exactly?"

"From what I remember, it looked like I was on the underside of the Citadel tower. Right where the Crucible was docked."

Hackett showed some surprise in his face. "How'd you end up there?"

"No idea. But I was able to get back on my feet again. It was right there that I talked to the Catalyst."

"You mean the Catalyst was something other than the Citadel?" Hackett asked still surprised.

Shepard nodded. "The Citadel was its home, from what it said."

"Then was the Catalyst exactly?"

The missing piece of the puzzle that Shepard found out several weeks before.

"It was the intelligence that Leviathan created," Shepard said. "It was the intelligence that controlled the Reapers."

The pause between was brief but it got the point across of Hackett's awe and realization.

"So all this time it was there under the Council's feet?"

"Yes," Shepard said. "Does make some sense in a way."

"What did the Catalyst say to you?"

"It told me why it used the Reapers, like Leviathan had told me. It told me about the conflict that happened between organic and synthetic life. It was supposed to find a peaceful way for them to co-exist but it had always failed and conflict always happened. So it created the Reapers."

Hackett carried on. "From your report of your encounter with the Leviathan creature, it had told you that the intelligence created the Reapers to harvest the advanced civilizations so the synthetics they create won't destroy all organics in the galaxy."

"Selective extinction over total extinction," Shepard summed it up. "But it insisted that the life it harvested was preserved in the Reapers themselves."

"It's a conclusion that only a machine can come up with," Hackett said. "So you met and spoke to the catalyst. But how were you able to get the Crucible to fire?"

"The Catalyst said that the Crucible was just a power source. But with it docked to the Citadel, the Catalyst had new options for it to use. And my being there proved that the previous solution wouldn't work anymore. It said it needed a new solution and I was the one who could make it happen."

"How exactly?"

"The Crucible was able to unleash the energy it had around the galaxy. But I was the one to choose how it would be dispersed. There were three ways that could have happen. The first was the one I chose."

"The destruction of the Reapers?"

"Yes and all other Synthetic life with them," Shepard gritted his teeth behind his closed lips. "That meant the Geth and EDI would die and I knew about it."

Confessing it again was as painful as telling Joker and the crew that he knew he was killing EDI by doing what he did.

"And what were the other two?"

"Either letting my mind be uploaded to replace the Catalyst to control the Reapers or throwing myself into the beam to merge synthetic and organic life."

Hackett was a little stunned after hearing what Shepard said about the alternatives.

"I didn't know what to make of it. I told the Illusive man he was crazy for even thinking he could control the Reapers. When the Catalyst told me I could control them, it said the Illusive man was already under its control and he wouldn't have be able to control them. But apparently I could. It told me I'd lose my body but my memories and thoughts would continue and I would see what the Reapers saw. If I had done that, the Geth and EDI would have survived."

The silence between them took a hold before Shepard continued. "But the other solution, synthesis, was the one the Catalyst seemed to have wanted me to choose."

"And what exactly was going to happen if you chose this option to merge synthetic and organic life?" Hackett said.

"The Catalyst told me if I added my energy to the Crucible by jumping into the beam, the chain reaction would alter all life in the galaxy. It would merge organic and synthetic life to give both what they wanted."

"Which is what exactly?"

"The Catalyst said that organics seek perfection through technology while synthetics seek perfection through understanding. If I went through with synthesis, organics would be integrated with synthetic technology and synthetics would gain full understanding of organics. The Reapers would stop the harvest by themselves and all the knowledge of the harvested civilizations before this cycle would be connected to everyone. By doing that, the conflict between organic and synthetic would end and we would live together in peace because we would understand each other. The catalyst said that it was the 'Ideal Solution.' I didn't know what to think of it. It was..." Shepard paused.

"Complicated," Hackett finished for him.

"Yeah," Shepard said. After all of the talks with his friends and all the allies he rallied together, they were all hell-bent on destroying the Reapers. But at that moment, he could save everyone but the Reapers would be still be alive. Why did he go through with destroying the Reapers when he knew there'd be friendly fire?

"Do you believe you made the right choice Shepard?" Hackett asked. He obviously read Shepard's uncertainty in his face.

_Was there even a right choice?_

"To be honest, I really don't know sir. I thought that I was a dead man whichever one I chose... and with the Geth in the line of fire and one of my teammates in line with them... I don't know. What do you think?"

Shepard felt a chill when the words left his mouth. Why would he ask his opinion and force the conversation to him? But Hackett answered with the same amount of professionalism he always had.

"I wasn't the one who learned about the Crucible's side effects at the time or knew what exactly what would happen when one of the choices would be made. So I believe that my opinion shouldn't be the one for you to take for granted."

"Okay," Shepard nodded.

"But if you must know what I think, I'll tell you. I have said before that controlling the Reapers wouldn't do anyone good and the cost of the Illusive man's experiments at Sanctuary were absolutely not worth the effort. But I will say this, if controlling the Reapers was the only option given, I wouldn't trust anyone else but you to control them."

Hearing those words gave Shepard some surprise.

"You think so?"

"You've had the freedom and opportunities to abuse your power as a Spectre. But you kept to your morals and made the more peaceful and thought out choices to resolve the issues and save more lives. But I wouldn't have encouraged you to do so. There was the possibility your mind may have been altered when you took control of them."

"Some of my team said that it probably was another one of the Reapers' tricks to indoctrinate me."

"That may have been the case but we'll never know and I believe it's for the better. Now as for this synthesis option, I'm personally glad you didn't go through with it."

"Why do you think so, sir?"

"I assumed you knew that from all the adventures you've had with your crew. A group of people from different corners of the Galaxy working together to solve different problems. You united the Krogan and Turians and brought the rest of the galaxy together to fight at Earth and to build the Crucible. And in the end, we got the Crucible finished because of everyone's different scientific and technical skills and the fleets were able to be used in their best roles to fight against the Reapers. From what you described about synthesis, it sounds like everyone in the galaxy would inherent every trait from every specie essentially becoming the same species. And there might have been so many unknown variables we couldn't comprehend."

"I guess that's why I ruled that option out when I was there."

Hackett nodded. "As for what's happened already, it's what we all imagined when we would destroy the Reapers. Everyone's working together to rebuild our ways of life in the way we desire. I assume you've seen some vids on the reconstruction efforts?"

"A few, and some interviews. It looks pretty good considering everything that happened."

"It's even better than we had hoped for." Hackett said. "And on a note about the Reapers, if the Reapers' purpose was about our conflict with synthetic life, then we should be the ones to deal with that issue ourselves."

"But that's going to be hard to do now that I condemned every Geth to extinction to put down the Reapers."

"They may be gone Shepard, but the lesson you've taught the Quairans and the rest of the galaxy is still here and stronger than ever. The next time you're on the extranet, look up some interviews regarding the Geth and you'll see."

Hackett leaned down and tapped the data pad to end the recording.

"I believe we should be done talking about your fate-of-the-galaxy dilemma. It's time you leave this hospital to see what you've done for the Galaxy. I've given authority to let you leave right away."

Shepard chuckled. "Thank you sir." He certainly was happy to be finally free from the hospital. He needed to move around and he was itching quite a bit to see what was happening out in the galaxy right now. In person and not just on a TV screen

He stood back up with Liara's help.

Hackett stood with them taking the data pad in his hand.

"How's about we head out for lunch and discuss things other than what we've talked about. I have a table reserved for three."

Hearing three made Liara blush. It was nice that Hackett had thought of Shepard's bond mate as well.

"I'd be honored sir," Shepard said.

"Come on this way." And Shepard followed Hackett out of the room and soon out of the hospital.

* * *

**Update:** The chapter has been adjusted with the rest of the story.


	8. Chapter 8

They made their way through the front door. Shepard felt a breeze of fresh air brush across his face as he filled his lungs with it. Unlike the air he remembered when he arrived back in the final battle of London which was tainted by smoke and rotting flesh, the air was pure with the freshness of the newly planted trees.

Shepard looked out to the people gathering around the streets. They were cheering hard and shouting his name.

"Shepard! Shepard! Shepard!" He heard shouted in rhythm. All of it made him crack a smile for a moment. It felt good feeling the support of all the people around him.

The trio made their way to Hackett's sky car. The door and hood opened and an Alliance soldier was at the wheel. Hackett went around to the passenger's seat and Liara an Shepard filed into the back seats. The doors closed and the car lifted off the ground. As the car soured over the streets next to the skyscrapers, both Shepard and Liara looked down at the city below. Shepard did see the Reaper remains at the far a edges of the city but the actual area of the city was cleared of Reapers corpses. That meant the Reapers that fell in the inner parts of the city were dismantled and removed to make way for reconstruction. Now seeing the city without anymore Reapers towering over the buildings and no more guns erupting in the streets below, it made Shepard feel relieved and at peace.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Liara said looking out her window.

"It most certainly is," Shepard said in return.

The car made its way to a medium sized skyscraper. The three of them exited the car and proceed into the building to the elevator and arrived at the restaurant at the top.

"Ah, Hackett and Shepard. Your table is this way," the waiter at the reception desk lead them through restaurant to the balcony outside. It was the only table outside which was good thing considering what they were going to talk about.

They sat down and noticed a very gorgeous view of the city. But the biggest awe wasn't the city below, it was from above. Up in the clear blue sky was the sight of the Citadel. It was still a sight to behold even after returning to the station multiple times during his adventures. And now it was a new sight for the people on Earth to see in addition to their Moon. That might make some races jealous down the road for sure.

The group looked at their menus and chose their drinks and their courses shortly after. Once the waiter took their orders, Shepard started the conversation.

"Will the council be upset having the citadel stuck here?" He asked looking up at the Citadel again.

"There are those who are weary about having the center of galactic power above our home," Hackett said. "But at this point, people are more concerned about taking care of their own. Once the Citadel is repaired and the people are moved back onto it, everyone can decide who'll be restricted from going up there or not."

When Shepard returned to the Citadel during his mission against the collectors, he saw how grim things were for the residents of the Citadel. Because of the influx of humans filling the gaps for C-sec, people were starting to feel more and more resentful toward humanity's position as the new council race. Even though the power was still shared by the other three, humanity was still given the suspicious eye. And now with the Citadel over humanity's homeworld, there might be even more human residents coming onto the station unless there would be immigration laws that would prohibit too many humans from immigrating. But then there could be the opposite effect and more aliens would come to Sol and may even come to Earth. And knowing how Xenophobic many humans are, that might cause more problems.

"I believe that it might actually be a good thing that it's here," Liara said.

"How so?" Shepard asked her.

"Because it was here that the war was won. The Citadel is a monument to that moment. In time, it'll truly show what every specie was able to accomplish here."

"Have the survivors on the station been cared for?" Shepard asked.

"We salvaged as many supplies from the wreckage as we could when the fleets returned to evacuate the survivors. With the supplies our fleets stored along with what the other fleets brought with them, we were able to keep mostly everyone fed while we got to work on the Charon Relay."

"I saw the damage the Crucible did to the Relays. We seemed to have gotten lucky."

"That was because of how well we built the Crucible. If we had deployed it with anything less than what everyone contributed, we might not have been so lucky."

That sounded haunting. Further Damage would have meant that everyone would be trapped in Sol longer and because of the biology of many of the species, the specific food they needed would run out soon. But luckily the efforts on the crucible paid off and the relay network was reestablished in a relatively short amount of time.

"So it only took you three weeks to fix the Charon relay?" Shepard asked.

"When our experts deciphered the Crucible blueprints, it also included information regarding the inner workings of the relays. After we relayed the information across the galaxy, it was relatively easy for the engineers to know how to put a relay back together. And luckily the Relays were only broken into six pieces."

"Just a simple puzzle with large pieces?"

"More or less. And it was easier to repair the relays one at a time when the fleets dispersed to work on the relays leading to their colonies and homeworlds. And the Rachni's efforts reduced the time it took to repair the relays immeasurably. Now with the main network back online, the supply lines are reestablished."

"How are the people doing? I saw news about how the Alliance was able to negotiate peacefully with Venezuela but we have warlords roaming in Africa."

"After all the hell everyone went through, the underdeveloped nations fared the worse. Indoctrinated leaders, gangs taking over and to top it all off people who lost faith before the Reapers arrived. We've done our best to get the succeeded nations back together with us through negotiation. The warlords in Africa refused to reply so we had to get our hands dirty."

"With help from the Krogan?"

"Reduced casualties for both sides. What remains now is to show that the Alliance will not abandon any of its people ever again. So were taking the opportunity to help everyone and improve all the underdeveloped regions."

"What has the Alliance done so far?"

"For starters, with nearly every urban center in shambles, we're taking the opportunity to demolish the slums and replace them with standardized housing. We're going to actually make bigger attempts to keep people out of poverty. Not keep them in poverty as the aristocrats have always done."

Having been raised on the streets and living a life of crime, Shepard did appreciate that the Alliance was taking steps to reduce the amount of people in poverty. When he returned to the Citadel to meet with Anderson after he was brought back by Cerberus, he heard a news report talking about the "Shepard Memorial Scholarship" that was used to get dozens of children a chance to enlist in the Alliance military and pursue a college education. One small step for the kids to have a better life. And now the Alliance was taking bigger steps.

"Taking the Shepard Memorial Scholarship to the next level?" Shepard asked.

"Best time to do that. And frankly we're going to need all the hands we can get. Once passage through the Charon relay was possible, we've attempted a massive re-colonization of our worlds. We've gotten an influx of people heading to Eden Prime, Elysium and Terra Nova to restart the agricultural process."

"I suppose several refugees and street dwellers signed up for it?"

"Yes they did. Without the bureaucratic walls keeping people from leaving, and our need of people to get to work to get resources flowing again, they couldn't wait to get off planet."

Many of the street dwellers Shepard was familiar with had nearly no chance to get off planet. They were stuck in the streets fighting each other to survive like the people who couldn't pay for a shuttle ticket off of Omega.

"What's more is that we've gotten an influx of new recruits from the people who picked up a gun to fight with Anderson. Our ranks will soon be filled up to be ready for what happens next."

That made sense. After having to fight the Reapers, many malitia groups on Earth could use their new skills to make a career in the Alliance. It was one of the great things about the military. When you don't seem to have anywhere to go, the military gave a good opertunity to help you find your place. It worked for Shepard, and it can work for the people who had no place to go before the war started.

"And I assumed you were told by Ms. T'soni about the new world the Normandy found outside of Sol?" Hackett asked.

"Kaidan told me of the chance discovery. Will that be our new colony now?"

"Normally it would. But the kicker is that when the fleet passed by the new system, they found a dormant Mass Relay that wasn't affected by the Crucible."

"Another Relay?" Shepard asked. "You didn't activate it did you?"

"Not at first but we activated it several weeks ago when we found it's destination."

"Where did it lead?"

"To a backdoor cluster in the Kite's Nest."

"The Batarian home nebula?"

"With everything that has happened with the Baterians, they're in a desperate situation. The Alliance has come to an agreement that the new world will be shared by the Alliance and the Batarians so we can mend our relationship with them."

That gave Shepard some pause. Turians and Krogan working together was one thing. Humans and Batarians?

"Permission to speak freely sir."

"Why would you need to ask for it?" Hackett said with a small grin. It was true but Shepard didn't dwell on it.

"I've never been prejudice against Baterians," even though many of them have been a real pain in the ass for him and the colonists attacked by slavers and radicals. "But wouldn't humanity be against cooperating with them? Sharing a colony with a race that praises slavery isn't what I'd call progress."

"That would have been the case long ago," Hackett said. "But with so few Batarians left, they're willing to do anything to keep their species alive. Even if it means abandoning their oldest of traditions."

They were really that desperate? To give it up?

"Are you saying that the Batarians are doing away with slavery?" he asked.

"It was the Hegemony that kept the Batarian people to have slavery as a part of their culture. When the Reapers arrived, the Hegemony had ceased to exist. What's left of the Batarian people are now forming a new Batarian Republic."

"Well that's something I find hard to believe," Shepard said. A slave owning race converting themselves into a democracy? That's something that could never happen overnight.

"It was a rocky start. But Grothan Pazness has lead his people through the dark times and they're following him to the end. Because he's the only competent leader left, he's been given more and more support for forming the new Republic from the majority of the Baterians still under their banner."

Pazness. That name rung a bell.

"I remember pulling Pazness from Cholis after we received his distress call on our way to find Leviathan."

"He's been the most open Batarian the council has come across since the near beginning. In his eyes, the war caused a great force upon everyone and that force was meant to be a force for change. The republic is one of those things. He's also made several requests to have the Batarians come back to the Citadel community and he's willing to directly cooperate with the Alliance. "

"And this colony is one of the stepping stones?"

"Yes. After we saved the Council from Sovereign all those years ago, we gained a lot of trust and respect, especially from the Turian hierarchy. We're hoping that by providing the Batarians another colony world to share on, we can gain more trust from them and mend our relationship."

At the start of the war, Shepard didn't put much thought into what the Batarians would do seeing how nearly their entire fleet was decimated. After encountering several of the Batarians who were seen as terrorists in the eyes of not just humanity but the Council, Shepard didn't think that anything could make the Batarians change their view of humanity, especially after he destroyed the Alpha relay and the Bahak system.

Shepard was about to talk further but he looked to see the waiter bring their meals. The smell of a gourmet meal made Shepard's mouth water. The taste of a fresh seasoned steak felt good to be alive. As they ate, Hackett continued.

"Not only will we have less hostilities from the Batarian government, but we'll have less slavers going out to the Terminus system to cause trouble for our colonists."

"I'm guessing it's because all those criminal organizations are no longer funded by the Hegemony?"

"Correct. And because you helped cure the Genophage, the Krogan will have better things to do than to become Mercenaries for the slavers and pirates."

Two large dents in the fight against the lawless who brought only pain and misery to innocent people. Hopefully that meant there wouldn't be another Skillian blitz any time soon.

"I've been wanting to ask about what's been happening the Terminus systems. The last thing I remember was that I handed all three of the largest merc groups in the galaxy to the most powerful Asari crime lord."

Shepard knew he needed all the guns they could get to fight the Reapers and the Terminus system was full of them. Seeing how vicious the three merc groups were, the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack, it was good to have them pointing their guns at Reapers and not innocent victims. But with them all under Aria's banner, what was she going to do now that her competition was monopolized?

Hackett simply looked over at Liara. Shepard looked over at her and she put her utensils down before she begun.

"After the war was finished and the relays were repaired, many of the mercenary groups we acquired returned to Terminus. Many of the smaller merc groups were utterly destroyed during the war so that lead to several successions of ranks. The largest Merc army as you know is under Aria's authority."

"You don't sound so concerned about it," Shepard said.

"That's because of an event that you helped make happen," Hackett said.

Him? The only thing he did regarding the Terminus system was get the three Merc groups together to follow Aria's command and...

"Are you talking about what I did when I joined Aria to retake Omega from Cerberus?"

"Your little visit to Omega has caused serious changes in not just Omega but all of Terminus," Hackett said.

"To put it simply Shepard," Liara said. "You helped Nyreen Kandros plant the seed of change for the Terminus system."

Nyreen Kandros. Of course. When Shepard came across Nyreen alongside Aria when they made their way through the Cerberus occupied streets, he was surprised at how lethal she was in battle. But even more surprising was how she was the new leader of the Talons, the gang that acted as the resistance against the Cerberus occupation and she actually had a moral compass in the city of the lawless. Unlike the previous gang leader, as told by Aria, Nyreen whipped the Talons into shape as an effective fighting force who looked after their civilians.

And that moral compass lead to a bold decision that perhaps changed Aria from the inside. Throughout the entire fight through Omega, Nyreen objected Aria's plans on using the Talons as fodder or sacrificing needless amounts of people to accomplish her goal. When Aria and Nyreen were trapped it the Reactor core while Shepard slipped out of the force field cage, he was thrown a decision to risk Aria and Nyreen's life by taking the time to redirect the reactor's power to take down the force fields in the entire station, or shut down the generator indefinably by causing an overload which would shut down life support systems to several levels. Aria, of course, told him to pull the plug while Nyreen said no. Shepard of course, being the noble soldier he was, worked as fast as he could and redirected the power just in time to free the duo and shut down the force fields so the armies on Omega could mobilize against Cerberus.

And right before Shepard and Aria arrived at the Afterlife club to take down Coronel Oleg Petrovsky, Nyreen jumped in to save six civilians from the horrible Adjutants. Using her Biotic abilities, she trapped half a dozen Adjutants inside of a biotic field with her inside it. She activated a Cerberus grenade belt inside the dome. At the last moment, she looked up to see Shepard and Aria witness her act of bravery and selflessness. The civilians were spared from the horrors of being turned into new Adjutants, but Nyreen had been vaporized along with the monsters she feared for her life.

After that, Shepard had never seen Aria so angry as she burst into Afterlife with her biotics blowing through the Cerberus defenses. That anger only got her trapped and Shepard had to fight several troops and Adjutants by himself until he could get Aria freed. Once the last of the troops were dispatched, Oleg surrendered. Aria, of course, got ruff with him for betraying her and taking her throne from her. Her hands were around his throat, taunting him of how close he was to death. But surprisingly, she let him go without Shepard having to ask her to spare him. At that moment, Shepard could see just for a second that somehow, someway, there was something that Aria had sealed away. But She quickly covered it back up when she said, "Walk around for a few hours and I go all soft. You're like a disease." Shepard didn't know if he had actually changed her for good, but he knew that Omega wouldn't be the same thanks to what Nyreen had done in Aria's absence.

"I'm guessing that the people of Omega took Nyreen and the Talons as an example?"

"Much like you are to the people of the council worlds," Liara put her arm around his back and pulled him for a small hug. No need to get too flirty in front of the Admiral, though Shepard knew that Hackett didn't mind as much. Liara continued.

"After what Nyreen and you did as you helped Aria get her throne back, the people of Omega found the courage to stand up against oppression. Now that the Talons are the prime security force on Omega, Aria's not in total control anymore."

"Well that's probably going to lead to some tension will it?" Aria regaining her throne back only to see that she wasn't in total control anymore?

"It's actually the opposite. Now that the three merc groups are hers she has more control of Omega than she had before. But because people have been looking up to Nyreen all of the months Omega was occupied, they have more expectations and demands of Aria. The Talons are essentially the embodiment of the civilians needs and since they're the more dominate gang on the station, the people look to them. And with them gaining the support, Aria's taking their side and working with them."

"It sounds like checks and balances to me."

"Enough to have the heart of Terminus pump the new blood to the other systems. It's given rise to a galaxy wide movement that's being called the 'Terminus Revolution.'"

Another large conflict? The Turian unification war, the Rachni wars, the Krogan Rebellions, the First contact war, the Skillian blitz, the Reaper war and now the Terminus Revolution.

"What's exactly happening in this revolution?" Shepard asked. If it was another war after the war for the very survival of all life in the galaxy, he would be very upset.

"It's a conflict that's only happening in the Terminus system. We're clear for the most part. The residences of Terminus have been uniting and forming several new factions with a common goal."

"To stand together for a better future like we're doing now?"

"Exactly," Liara said. "Their main military force are calling themselves 'The Militia'. Its comprised of several mercenaries and other Terminus residence of the new factions who are willing to fight for the betterment of their systems. They're taking a stand against the crime lords dominating their worlds and fighting against the slaver rings."

When Shepard through about it, Terminus never stopped having conflict in it. So another conflict, but on a larger scale, wouldn't seem like anything new. But the thing that concerned him was the residents fighting against the crime lords. Before the war, the gangs and Warlords ruled the Terminus systems and held all the money to hire the best mercenaries to do their dirty work. And this new Militia was standing up to them, mostly civilians who most of which were untrained?

"I appreciate that they're taking a stand against the slaver rings, but didn't you say that they're mostly civilians taking up arms against mercenaries hired by warlords?"

"Luckily for them, they have help," Liara said cracking a smile. That indicated what she meant by help.

"You had your hand in organizing them?"

"Not directly. The Militia was formed by the Talons and several merc groups during the war. But with my network reestablished and many new agents, I have more eyes on the enemy than before. With a few tip offs, the Militia have made effective strikes against the rising warlords and have grown in strength as more Terminus residence joined their cause."

"So where does Aria fit into all of this?"

"She's essentially the back bone in the operation. She's deploying her new army against the warlords to support the Militia's efforts. Because she's supporting the Militia and the morals of looking out for their people, the civilians are content with having her remain queen of the heart of Terminus."

"Just as long as she keeps those mercenary gangs on a leash and not attack anymore of our people, I'm fine with that."

"So far it's been a steady alliance with occasional Blue Suns and Blood Pack deserters. But those problems are quickly dealt with either with or without my assistance. Overall it's good for us because Aria and the Militia are dealing with their problems before they become our problems. But the biggest reason this is good for us is because of the resources the Militia worlds are providing for us."

He knew there was something that had to involve citadel space.

"Have they been reasonable in their prices?"

"More than we were hoping for," Hackett said. "Along with several mining operations we're sending out to the Attican Traverse, the materials we're getting from Terminus are invaluable to our efforts here."

"Just hope that this friendship can continue. The last thing we need is the united merc army coming to take claim our worlds. I can't fight another Skillian Blitz by myself again."

"You don't have to, Shepard," Hackett said. "But after everything that's happened in this war, optimism is what's driving all of us. And optimism is what's fueling the Militia's fight for a better future and a better relationship with the lawful."

"Be even so, are we ready for another blitz?"

"When it comes to fleets, not even close," Hackett said. "Almost every fleet who fought in the battle of Earth had more than half of their numbers destroyed. However, since we are now stronger allies, we're joining our fleets together like the Militia is doing in Terminus. If a pirate raid were to happen to a council colony, we'll all be there to repulse the attack. Once we have acquired our materials and rebuild our ships, we'll have our fleet to full strength soon."

"What about troops on the ground?"

"We've lost a lot of good soldiers, Shepard. Many are still grieving over what they've experienced in this horrible war. But after all the hell they've been through, many civilians who took up arms on Earth and out in the colonies are now enlisting. We've gotten the largest influx of volunteers since the First Contact War. With more boots, our strength on the ground will be as strong as the Alliance was before the war. And with more help from the other races, the colonies are more than prepared for ground assault."

"And by help from other races, you mean the Krogan?"

"The Krogan are defiantly a big help in the defense of our recolinzation efforts. But we also have a new special group who're going to be key in the coming years if new threats to our new peace come about."

"Are you talking about the N7 Special Ops?" From the feedback and reports Shepard received, the N7 Special Ops group was a collection of soldiers from every race who banded together to make effective strikes against Cerberus and the Reapers.

"The N7 Special Ops earned its reputation very well in the theater of war," Hackett said. "And with your image of your crew of diverse races working together, their own image has been vindicated. After the war was finished and our new council was established, they enacted an action to form a new division for citadel defense. The new organization is now being named the Galactic N7, or GN7 for short."

"Does that mean our own N7 graduates join up?"

"Our best soldiers are chosen for the Tier 1 while others are put into other divisions. Together with the best of the other species, they're the frontline soldiers who'll be the first to strike against the threats that come at a moment's notice."

"Who's authority are they under? I wouldn't trust the Council to have the authority seeing how reluctant politicians can be."

"It's directed by a new division of the Spectres. The ones who're fit for operating small armies in addition to fighting with a small squad are chosen for the position."

Two of the most important things needed for an effective army: a good leader who can make snap decisions and a good squad that can hit hard but also cooperate with the leader and each other. Plus that it's directed by the Spectres meant that they could act when they needed to act and not let politics get in the way. However, there was the possibility of a corrupt Spectre going rouge and bringing his followers with them. Having to put down two of them already, Shepard only hoped that the other Spectres as well as the actual troops could keep an eye on each other.

"Has the GN7 done anything since they were created?"

"There were several opportunities to put down several crime lords out in the Traverse and even offered to fight alongside the Militia to take out targets of opportunity. And with our help we're looking to help the Militia secure crucial mining outposts and colonies that are having growing relations with Council space. They've also done a little to hunt down the ruminants of Cerberus."

The last loose end. The remains of the organization that only brought shame to the entire human race. The Terra Firma Party was only a bunch of Xenophobic idiots bickering about how standing alone was better than standing together. But Cerberus was far worse before Shepard worked for them. The idea of humanity dominating the galaxy like the Nazis believed in their "Master Race" was just wrong.

"What is our situation with Cerberus now that the Illusive Man is out of the picture?"

"With my data network updated from what we extracted from Cronos station, I've been able to track down many of their remaining facilities and VIPs" Liara said. "Plus I've identified their patrons and their sources of income. With Cronos station and their leader out of the picture, it's now just a bug hunt for the last of them. The GN7 as well as several bounty hunters a part of the Militia have been hunting them down."

"Have they been putting up a fight?"

"There hardly was any," Hackett said. "When several of our GN7 teams arrived at the facilities, all of their defensive personnel were already dead."

_Already dead?_

"What do you mean?"

"The Reaper tech they implanted into their soldiers was the cause," Hackett said. "After the Crucible fired, the ones with Reaper tech in their head had died when the implants overloaded. The teams made it through the facilities with little resistance. And beside the easy taking of Cerberus facilities and bounty hunters bringing in our targets, many of the Scientists and targets of opportunity simply turned themselves in to Alliance authority."

"I guess that means one thing, doesn't it?"

"Cerberus is dead, Shepard. And you put the knife into their heart."

With all the secrets hiding the organization and propelling them to be as strong as the Alliance itself, Cerberus was a hard organization to track down. But with secrets no longer secret and their idealist leader now dead, they were venerable and their influence was no longer relevant. But there was one thing that bothered Shepard.

"That's what I told the Illusive man when I recovered the Prothean VI at Cronos," Shepard said. "But he said that Cerberus was an idea and ideas can't easily be destroyed."

"It's an idea that's outdated and no longer relevant," Hackett said. "With all the horrid things they've done, what's left of the xenophobes know better than to trust anything that is affiliated with the idea."

"Essentially Shepard," Liara said. "You've destroyed the idea with the organization."

Ideas couldn't be destroyed entirely, but their influence on the galaxy could be diminished to a point where they weren't a major player anymore. The age of distrust and isolation was over and the racist xenophobes we're no longer in power or hurting people to achieve their twisted goals.

"I'm glad I did. Cerberus was nothing more than a bad example of the human race. But I'm more concerned about their experiments. I hope it doesn't reach others like ExoGeni."

The first experiments of mind control on people started with ExoGeni's research of the Thorian creature under the Colony of Zhu's Hope on Feros. After Shepard killed the creature and managed to save the colony, he discovered that a separate group of ExoGeni scientists was experimenting on infected subjects to make them the mythical "obedient servant." It just disgusted Shepard that a corporation was going out of its way to find the key to make a perfect soldier to serve only one cause and never question orders. And then Cerberus found that formula with Reaper tech and implanted innocent people with it to make them into slaves of combat.

"ExoGeni won't be doing any of that," Liara said. "I already told you that I have eyes on every major corporation in the galaxy. I'll know if they try to do any unethical proceeders and they won't have any buricratic walls to hide behind this time.

"And on that note of the indoctrination experiments, I believe it's no longer possible to replicate what Cerberus did." Hackett said.

"Why's that?"

"Cerberus used Reaper technology to be implanted into people to have them obey Cerberus's orders without question. But you knew that Cerberus's victims were obeying the Reaper's orders. No one other than the Reapers can use indoctrination and have control. From reports and studies done on the dead Reapers around the galaxy, the materials of Reaper technology are no longer emanating electromagnetic fields. We assume since there are no more living Reapers left, including the main intelligence you encountered on the Citadel, there are no ways for organics to be indoctrinated ever again. But we're being cautious with the workers while we dismantle the Reaper bodies and remove them."

Shepard felt a little relieved with the news. But then the thoughts of the ones who were already indoctrinated came to his mind.

"But what about the people who were indoctrinated before I activated the Crucible? Surely there had to be some of them still around."

"We did have reports of people blacking out for several hours. But other reports shown brain hemorrhaging in other people who were touched by the crucible's blast. We assume those who died were the ones who were severely indoctrinated while the ones who were knocked out were about to be indoctrinated or were in the process of it. We assume those people were indoctrination victims and with the Reapers gone, the indoctrinated people who weren't killed were freed from the indoctrination."

Freedom from indoctrination. That was something that Shepard hoped could happen. But seeing how almost absolute indoctrination was, it seemed no one could free themselves except for a minute like Benazia did on Noveria. But it was too bad that the ones who were totally indoctrinated died. But seeing how desperate things got near the end of the war, any people still alive was a good thing no matter how little.

"That's good to know," Shepard said. With everything he saw, he was glad that indoctrination was no longer a part of the galaxy. In fact he was happy that the Reapers were gone. What's even more was the great news of the Batarians reforming themselves and the Terminus system fighting for a better future where they could get along with the Alliance and the Citadel worlds.

"Things are looking up Shepard," Hackett said. "A big part thanks to you."

"Well I'm glad to have enlisted to help," Shepard smiled. If he hadn't been able to survive on the streets and get into the Military, the accomplishments that he achieved wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have hold of the Batarians at Elysium. He wouldn't have become the first human Spectre and stop Saren and his skim to unleash the reapers on the Galaxy. He wouldn't have been brought back by Cerberus to save humanity from the Collectors. He wouldn't have been there to unite the Galaxy against the Reapers and to break the Cycles once and for all.

They continued eating until they finished their meals.

"Thank you for the meal sir," Shepard said.

"It's been my pleasure, Commander," Hackett said. "But before you go, there's something that I'd want you to have."

Hackett reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a leather box. He put onto the table. Shepard picked it up and opened it. Inside was an emblem. An emblem that repressented the Alliance rank of Admiral.

"Congratulations, Admiral Shepard," Hackett said.

Shepard couldn't believe it.

"Rear Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"You're surprised?" Hackett said.

"I'm skipping the rank of Captain aren't I?"

"You would have been promoted up to Captain after you came home from your mission against the Collectors. But Bahawk and the Cerberus colors kept that from happening. Now that it's over and seeing all the things you did in this war, the Alliance board felt it was appropriate to give you the rank you truly earned."

Shepard was still at a loss for words. Him? An Admiral?

"What could I do as an Admiral?" Shepard said. "Paperwork and directing soldiers to their deaths while I sit back and watch it happen isn't the kind of work I'm cut out for."

"That's why you have the rank now that the fire's died down," Hackett said. "It's mostly a formality to let the Galaxy know you're being appreciated by your own people. And you know that more than half of the Galaxy look at you as their hero. You were the one who led the ones who gave their lives for the future they'd dream about. With you as an admiral, you can influence the people to keep on this course and you can do it without lifting a finger. In essence, it's only symbolic. And I know that you're not planning on fighting anyone anymore now that it's over. So this position is basically an accommodation for you if you decide to retire anytime soon."

Shepard looked over at Liara. She was surprised as he was about Hackett's proposal. The promise he made to her about the little blue children came to his mind and he could see Liara had the same thoughts from the look in her eyes. Shepard looked back at Hackett.

"To be honest sir," Shepard said. "After so many years of killing, I've had enough of war. And now that I found another purpose to my life, I want to see if I can live in peace for once."

"And nobody blames you for it. You disserve a life of peace after everything you've done for all of us."

"Thank you sir," Shepard said.

"However Shepard, there's something that I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Since you're an admiral, I no longer give you the orders. You make them. But I can give you suggestions."

"As a friend?"

"More or less. Now that the war is over, and the galaxy's hero is awake, it's basically the time for memorials, inspirational speeches and endless handshakes."

Shepard closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He knew this was coming.

"Am I going to have to make a speech sometime soon?" he looked back at Hackett.

"Now that you're awake, the leadership of the races can formally gather for the ceremony we've planned at the new memorial that's being set up by where the beam you entered was. However, it'll take a few weeks to organize the service and get everyone to the gathering. There's time for you to comprehend the great things you've accomplished."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should go out on a personal tour of victory around the galaxy. You should see what the Krogan are doing now the Genophage is cured. See what the people of Terra Nova and Elysium are doing in honor of your brave actions. And perhaps both of you should head to Thessia to see how it's doing. I think it'll give you some inspiration for your victory speech when you return."

"That does sound good sir," Shepard said. "But how will I get to those places."

"Well how do you think?"

"The Normandy?"

"It's your ship Shepard," Hackett said. "It wouldn't be the same ship without you."

That was true. A tour of victory around the Galaxy aboard the vessel that made it happen. It'd be better than the tour the Destiny Ascension, the Asari Flag ship, took.

"Then I'll go out to my ship when I'm ready," Shepard said. "Thank you, sir."

"I have nothing to do with it. You're an admiral so you can claim whatever ship you want. So if you want the Normandy back, you go right ahead and take it. Even after you retire you can still have it."

After he retired? Is that even allowed?

"Why would I want to keep it even after I retired?" Shepard said. "The Normandy's place is with the Alliance Military. It's not meant to be my personal yacht."

"That's why you get to decide what to do with it. It'd be a good ship for the GN7 to use for their operations. But considering all the Alliance military has learned from the SR-2's design, as well as all the knowledge the galaxy's scientists have learned when they built the crucible, new ship designs are underway but the Normandy will be remembered as the ship that opened the door for many of those ships."

"Are you saying once I'm finished with the ship I should give it up to a museum for future generations to admire?"

"That's up to you to decide. But I know you'll do the right thing when the decisions come. For now, you go on ahead and do what you need here and head out whenever you're ready."

"I do have a few things I need to do on Earth. So I'll start there."

"Then I won't keep you any further," Hackett stood up from his seat and Shepard did the same. They stepped to the side of the table and shook hands.

"Congratulations, Admiral," Hackett said.

"Thank you, sir," Shepard said. He and Liara turned around and exited the restaurant while Hackett paid the bill and tip the waiter. When they descended down the elevator, Shepard looked down at the box containing his Admiral emblem. Everything that he was told was all overwhelming to take in. The Batarians changing and mending their relationship with humanity. The people of Omega and Terminus standing up to fight for a better future for the lawless. The formation of united fighting force to protect the Citadel worlds and even aid the new Terminus factions in their fight. Cerberus for sure destroyed. And to top it all off, he was an Admiral and had the Normandy as his ship for the coming years. It all sounded too good to be true.

After a few floors past, Shepard felt a hand on his arm which brought him back into the present.

"You've done the impossible Shepard," Liara said. "I'm so proud of you."

Shepard gave a warm smile and came closer to give her a hug.

"Thanks Liara."

* * *

**Author's Note:** As you can see I've been poking around with the little details that Mass Effect 3 mentioned and left open. For those who didn't know, Grothan Pazness was one of the side War Assets included in the Leviathan DLC. His description said he was a former Xenophobe, like Batarians are in general, who decided to open up to the council races when the war started to look after what was left of his people. So I took that part into my story to bring about the element that ME3 left open.

Also you saw my little nod to Multiplayer. I saw the description for N7 Special Ops Team: _Allied forces are recruiting anyone, soldier or mercenary, smart, fast, and tough enough to survive galactic war. The most experienced operatives form squads to secure objectives, evacuate civilians, and battle Cerberus or the Reapers deep in enemy territory._

When I read this, I immediately thought of Rainbow Six. A multiracial militant group working together to fight the enemy where it hurts. So I gave a little nod to that.

And now I will say I'm initiating the real story and it'll pick up. However, I will say that updates might become slower due to upcoming classes and work schedules and other stories I've promised to get to. But rest assured, I will keep giving this story my all because this is for the fans who've stayed on board 'til and after the end of the greatest Sci-fi franchise of all time. As always, please leave a review to tell me what you think. See you in next chapter next Sunday. :)

**Update: **Had a lot of adjusting with this chapter especially to change the location of Serenity, the mysterious planet the Normandy crashed on, and to include the new Militia faction that's now running the bulk of Terminus. (And yes, for those who are curious, I did name the Militia after the faction from Titanfall.) And I will tell you this: I may start another fic that is similar to other fics like "The Omega Chronicles" or "A New Kind of War" to showcase the Militia as well as the GN7 but that story won't be out for a while after I finish this story as well as work on my StarCraft fic. So let me know about my new ideas I put in if it makes the story better or worse. Thanks again. :)


	9. Chapter 9

_**ANN Report:** The Brazilian government has expressed it's gratitude for the Alliance and it's extraterrestrial allies in the care of it's refugees and the construction efforts in the areas that were formerly the slums of the region. With the income projections coming in, the Alliance's support as well as the new economic plan suggest an increase in economic growth rate of 5%. Though many expressed concerned about the nation's decreasing current population due to the massive planet wide emigration movement to Alliance colonies, others see it as a potential benefit for less people without employment or housing._

_This projection gives more nations of the world hope as more of the people of Humanity's world are cared for by the Alliance and it's allies. It is one of the many good news for humanity to rally behind for it's coming future._

* * *

The sight of Rio was one that few words could describe. With the environmental and social issues the nation of Brazil faced, the city took a toll on its surroundings and its people. Many of the slums had expanded out over the hills and even folded over itself with houses and streets stacked over each other. But when humanity learned Mass Effect technology and expanded to the stars, the City and the nations experienced some drastic, if not immediate changes. The slums were still expanding with many people homeless but the nation started efforts to regain its beauty and soul. Only roughly a third of the original Amazon rainforest had remained after the constant deforestation declined after first contact. Because the ground was scorched and unable to be restored to harbor life on its own, scientists started to examine the soil and attempted to find ways to re-enrich the soil so the Amazon could expand again to where it once reached out. It made some little progress and the Salerian's popular terraforming plant Burngrass helped out in the recent years after first contact.

As for the city, the buildings were under construction and many of the slums that were growing on the hillsides were being demolished in favor of standardized and planed housing. Most of the citizens were evacuated from the city when the Reapers arrived and were moved to camps spread around the country so not too many people would be caught together when the Reapers cornered a group of refugees. Now five months later, the people were starting to come back in to help rebuild while others volunteered to head out to the colonies to start a new life and contribute to the agricultural reform.

Shepard's shuttle arrived to the city in the mid-afternoon the day after he was released from the hospital. He called Jacob and he gave the address of the bar. Before Shepard left to meet with Jacob, he checked into the hotel room that was reserved for him. Like he expected, Shepard was given a night in the penthouse, free of charge. Once Shepard and Liara put their belongings into the closet and settled in, they dressed for the night.

Shepard changed into his N7 leather jacket outfit while Liara, on the other hand, decided to try out a new look. She dawned a dark turquoise tank top with a pair of tan cargo shorts.

"Wow," Shepard said seeing her. "You look good."

"You mean my outfit?" Liara smiled mockingly. "Or just me in general?"

"Well I guess it can mean both ways," Shepard walked up to her. "Although I might get a little concerned if this becomes a habit."

"You mean I continue to dress like this and I might become less like an Asari and more like a human?"

"The out-of-this-world part of you is what turns me on," Shepard approached her and gave her a soft kiss on the side of her crest. "But for now, I'm fine with you being closer to home. Well... my home to be specific."

Liara chuckled playfully and gave a kiss back. They went their way from the hotel to the streets below. The streets were busy with several Alliance personnel stationed around the city interacting with several of the locals. There were several aliens in the streets too. Most of them were military helping out with the reconstruction while some were regular civilians. Before the Reapers arrived, there were a handful of non-humans on Earth, either tourists or business people. The xenophobia from the local residence gave a lot of tension about the visitors and that kept many non-humans from having residence on the planet. But now, the tension seemed to be relaxed. After experiencing hell for weeks, the people were happy to have help in any way possible.

Shepard and Liara continued down the streets until they turned the corner. They looked over at the bar which was rather large and sat yards away from the local beach. At the front door, Jacob was waiting and Shepard saw he was talking to Garrus.

"Hey Shepard," Jacob said. "Glad you can make it."

"Wouldn't miss it," Shepard said. He looked over at Garrus. "Glad to see you've come along too. Any others?"

"A few," Garrus said. "This is our unofficial celebration of victory over the Reapers, so many of us couldn't miss out on it. But now it's got another purpose."

Garrus straightened his posture and gave a less-than-serious salute to Shepard.

"We welcome you, Admiral Shepard."

Shepard chuckled before he said, "At ease, Vakarian."

And Garrus did so.

"So you've heard about that, huh?"

"Mostly everyone knows," Jacob said. "And that's why they're eager to start the night off. It won't start until you come in."

He was the party starter. How typical.

"We shouldn't keep everybody waiting then, should we?" Liara said.

"Yeah," Garrus said. "But before you come in, there's something that you need to settle first."

"Settle?" Shepard asked. What did he mean?

Garrus moved from the door and opened it. Shepard looked inside to see a familiar and unexpected face. Joker stood up from the bench inside and walked out onto the porch.

"Hey Commander," Joker said in a rather absent and depressed tone. The last time Shepard saw Joker in his hospital room, Joker's face showed so much conflict with sadness, anger and depression from learning that Shepard knew that he was going to kill EDI from the choice he made. But now, his face showed much of the same things but it showed it wasn't in Shepard's direction.

"We'll wait inside until you're finished," Garrus said before he and Jacob walked into the bar leaving the trio on the porch. The silence stood between them for a minute while the tension between them tugged at each of them. Liara was the one who broke the ice.

"Joker..."

"Hey Liara..." Joker said still sounding distant and depressed. "You doing okay?"

"Yes," Liara said after a pause. "I believe I am."

"Good. I'm happy for you," He moved his eyes from Liara to Shepard. "For both of you. And I mean that."

Hearing Joker's tone sounded like he meant what he said. It wasn't a light hearted joke tone like he always used after almost every mission. It was a serious tone that showed he was serious about what he said.

"Joker, I..." Shepard began to speak.

"It wasn't your fault," Joker said immediately before Shepard could continue. "You had to do what you needed to do."

He looked at Liara again.

"And I am so sorry I said those things to you, Liara. That wasn't me," his head was now bent down in shame. "I shouldn't have done that. You didn't blamed me and I shouldn't have blamed you or him."

"It's okay Joker," Liara said. "I know you didn't mean any of that. I forgive you."

"Thanks," Joker said. "It means a lot."

After another pause, Liara looked over at Shepard.

"I'll wait inside if that's okay."

The thing that happened between her and Joker was settled so all that remained was between Shepard and Joker.

"Go on a head," Shepard nodded and she went inside leaving the pilot and Commander-now-Admiral alone outside. Both of them walked over to the side of porch and sat on the bench at the edge of it. Shepard looked over at Joker once they sat down.

"Joker, I want you to know that if there had been another way, I would have..." Shepard trailed off on the last word.

"I know," Joker said. "I know you don't like leaving your people behind and I know you felt the same for EDI. But to be honest sir, now that you told us about the other ways you could have gone, you shouldn't have risked the fate of the galaxy for her life. And don't let me make you feel bad about your relationship with Liara. If only one of us was going to have a happily ever after, you should be the one to have it."

"Joker..."

"Just hear me out, okay?" Joker said before Shepard could continue again. Shepard nodded and listened to what Joker had to say. "You've had to endure all the hell on the ground and make all the difficult decisions that'll no doubt haunt you for almost ever. And you died already saving me when I was stupid enough to not abandon ship. When Liara learned you didn't make it..." Joker paused with the emotional conflict brewing in his throat. "She blamed herself. I wanted her to put all the blame on me because I thought it was my fault. But she didn't do any of that. She didn't take it out on me because it wasn't any of our faults. It's been the Reapers' fault the whole time."

Joker pause to let what he said sink in. Shepard could hear the anger in Joker's tone but it wasn't directed at Shepard but at the things that were responsible for everything that happened.

"I know that you regret a lot of things," he continued. "Ashley. The Bahak system and all the people that died in this war. But I don't blame you for EDI. I want you to believe that."

It took a little moment for Shepard to take it in and accept it but he managed to say, "If you say so Joker."

"I do say so," Joker said. "You weren't the one who made the plans for the Crucible. The people of the cycles before us did. They did their best to make the people of the next cycle complete it to do what they all wanted to do. And you did what they wanted you to do. You blew those assholes to hell. I'm glad you did what you did. And I mean that."

"Thanks Joker," Shepard said. "But even with that, I know that it still hurts."

"Yeah, it does," Joker said with emotional pain in his voice. "But now that I've gotten a chance to clear my head and think about it, I think if EDI knew about what would have happened, she would've wanted you to choose what you did."

"You think so?"

"She told me about that conversation she had with you about the prisoners and about her willing to die for you if it needed to happen. In fact I don't think, I know she would have chosen what you did if she was up there with the Crucible. And those other two choices just seemed like Reaper traps to me now that I think about it."

"Not even synthesis?" Shepard asked. "If it worked like the Catalyst said it would, maybe it'd bring you and EDI closer together. Maybe it could have solved your medical condition."

Shepard was trying to imply humor a little too hard he found out. But Joker did grin for a moment with a small chuckle in his throat.

"Yeah well you'd actually done more harm than good with that. We've been fighting to destroy Harbinger and his friends and that's what you did. It's better off that we do things on our own even if it'll be harder. We've built all this and made our alliances and friendships by ourselves and from here on it'll only get better. You've done a lot of good things, Shepard. And I'm happy for that and for you because you can see what you've accomplished."

Hearing Joker's words gave Shepard some pause to think about what he said. He knew about all the things surrounding him and how he had managed to forge the great alliances to fight the enemy together and settle century old feuds within a matter of days. But when he heard about it from the pilot of his ship, he really felt moved because of what happened between them. Right now, Shepard felt the tension between him and Joker had diminished and he felt like Joker had truly forgiven him.

"Are you going to be alright?" Shepard asked.

"I've gone through what Liara already went through. I'll be alright. But I want you to do me one thing, okay?"

"What's that?"

"Don't let yourself feel bad about being with Liara because of me. Promise me that you'll live a happy life with her. You deserve it."

"I'll do my best."

"Thanks Shepard," Joker said. The silence between them stayed until Shepard looked back at Joker.

"So. Are we good?"

"We're alright," Joker said as he stood up followed by Shepard. "Come on, let's not keep the party from starting any longer."

They walked through the door into the bar. Shepard looked around at the interior and was impressed with its design. It was a wooden frame work with several holographic neon lights and a glass ceiling to see the sky. Shepard noticed that there were retractable blinds that were able to block the ceiling during daylight when the sun was peering in. Right now, late afternoon approaching dusk, the view of the clear sky was not glaring with the suns beams blocking it. Soon, when the sun would set, the patrons would be able to see the stars above.

Straight ahead was the actual bar where the drinks were served while there were several tables around the first level and the balconies above. There was a wide open dance floor with a stage for instrument players. There were several people around at the tables already and there was soft music playing from a modernized holographic jukebox in the corner.

Joker and Shepard made their way to the bar to find Garrus. When he saw them coming he came to them.

"So did you sort it out?"

"It's no longer going to be an issue," Joker said. "We can get the party started without any setbacks."

"Alright," Garrus said "Right this way."

They followed Garrus up to the bar where several failure faces were waiting. Shepard saw Liara with Tali along with James, Kaiden, Miranda, and Kasumi. Then Shepard recognized more faces.

"Shepard!" Samantha Traynor ran up to him to give him a hug. Thankfully she slowed down and embraced him gently. "I am so happy to see you up and about. I was so worried. I wish I could have been there after you woke up."

Shepard smiled. "Well at least we're meeting now."

"I guess that works."

He looked over to see more of the crew standing around. Greg Adams, Karin Chakwas, Kenneth Donnelly, Gaby Daniels and Steve Cortez were standing at the bar with Liara and the others.

"Shepard," Cortez walked up first and gave Shepard a pat on the shoulder.

"Hey Steve," giving him a pat back. "How're you doing?"

"Much better seeing you out of the hospital. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to come over."

"Been busy?"

"I've done a lot of cargo runs with the Normandy since you put the Reapers down. And when the Normandy was dry docked, I got requests for supply runs around the planet."

"Well I'm glad you helped out," Shepard said. "You've been doing the same Traynor?"

"Yeah and the rest of the crew found their ways to help out once the Normandy took a break."

The next people to come up were Adams, Gabby and Kenneth.

"Great to see you up and about Commander. Or should I say Admiral," Adams gave a salute when he said the word.

"To be honest I'm taking my time adjusting to the title," Shepard said. "So what have all of you been up to?"

"We stayed on the Normandy for the most part to make sure she still purrs like a kitten," Kenneth said.

"But when we weren't, we decided to go out to help out with other ships coming in needing repairs," Gabby said.

"Well I'm glad you're doing all your parts," Shepard grinned when a reminder came to him. "And I'm curious. How it's been between you two."

"Wha-" Kenneth said abruptly. "What do you mean?"

"He's talking about 'us' Kenneth," Gabby stepped in. "He knows about it. So don't pretend he doesn't know."

"Uh, right...," Kenneth looked back at Shepard. "Well it's been pretty good."

"How good?" Shepard inquired.

Since Kenneth was always reluctant to answer, Gabby stepped in yet again.

"We went on a date after the Normandy caught a break."

"Dinner?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Kenneth said with a nervous tone still. "It was pretty fun."

All Shepard could do was smile at the adorable couple that came to be aboard the ship he served on.

"Well, then I wish you two the best."

The last person to come up was Chakwas.

"Chakwas, I'm happy to see you."

"I'm happier seeing you still alive and walking with purpose. When we returned to Earth I helped out with your operation with Miranda and I'm glad my efforts contributed to you keeping your life this time."

Shepard looked up to the bartender breaking out the drinks for everyone. "I suppose this wouldn't count for that brandy we promised to share will it?"

"No it won't," Chakwas said. "But we'll share the one I still have on the Normandy once you get back to her."

"Consider it done."

Shepard turned his attention to the rest of his crewmates. He received their hugs and pats until he made it to Jacob.

"So are we done with greetings Shepard?" Jacob asked.

"For now, unless you know if there are others are coming. Would Brynn have wanted to come?"

"As much as she wanted to, she felt she needed to keep herself somewhere quiet for the sake of the baby. This place does serve non-alcoholic beverages but the music might cause some disturbances."

"I understand," Shepard said. "But to be honest the music isn't that loud."

"That's because you didn't come in yet," Jacob looked away and raised his hands up to someone at the other side of the bar. After a few seconds the jukebox stopped playing it's music and several people appeared on the stage. Several of them carried traditional Earth instruments; an acoustic guitar, conga drums, steel drums and there was one who brought a synthesizer onto the stage. One of the people in the band activated his Omni-tool and the speakers around the bar chirped in.

"HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ladies and gents!" The singer spoke into his Omni-microphone with a powerful and energetic voice with a heavy South American accent. "Are you ready for some fun this evening?"

The people in the bar cheered.

"Then you're in luck because we have a very special guest tonight."

The neon holograms and lights flashed around the room until they all dimmed down. All except for a single light that shown down on the floor. And it was the one that shown right above Shepard. Everyone turned their heads to him before the singer continued.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the hero of Elysium, the savior of the Citadel, the slayer of the Reapers... and last but certainly not least, the savior of the Galaxy. Mister Commander Shepard!"

The people in the bar cheered with an applause and load whistles.

"Oh, wait. Pardon me. I must have gotten that wrong. It's not Commander Shepard. It's Admiral Shepard! Ladies and gents, Admiral Shepard!"  
The customers cheered again except louder. Shepard smiled from the excitement that rubbed off on him.

"On behalf of our band and every soul in the milky way, we want to thank you for your dedication to fight for all of us. To fight not just for humanity, but all of our friends from across the stars. Tonight we hope to give you and everyone here a great time to remember. But before we start I want to make a request to our lovely patrons here tonight. Shepard went into the depths of hell to save us all from being pulled into it. So I ask you give him some space so he can enjoy the evening with his friends." Several of the people laughed while a few cheered and applauded.

"Okay Shepard. Everyone's ready to party. The question is, are you? 'Cause this celebration starts with your approval. So will you do us the honor and officially approve us to kick this off?"

"Shepard looked around to see the faces of the people around him brimming with anticipation. After a second, Shepard looked back at the singer with a smile and gave a nod to him.

"Alright people!" he shouted into his microphone. "LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And just like that, the party had started.

* * *

**Author's note:** I'll tell you this chapter was a bit of an effort to get right. But regardless I've managed to put it together and I really hope you enjoyed it.

And I have to say this. PLEASE GIVE ME REVIEWS. This week I've been rather reluctant to write this chapter because of the lack of feedback. I need to know that I'm doing a good job otherwise I might not be able to continue this story. And that'd be bad because of the surprise I have in store for you in a few chapters.

I don't mean to pressure you or anything, but if you read this story, visitor or member, favorite or alert, please leave a word or two about what I'm doing good. Tell me if I'm doing a good job with the elements of nostalgia. I need to know.

Please leave me feedback and I'll be able to get to the surprise I have in store for you. I won't say what it is, only that it'll make you cheer as loud as you can when you read it. See you next week.

**Update:** The Chapter has been updated.


	10. Chapter 10

The music of the performers reverberated through the speakers around the building. The guitar and the drums provided the tropical vibe and beat while the digital synthesizers brought a more modern feel to the rhythm and melody. When it mixed together, it filled everyone with a desire to dance and release themselves. But the excitement didn't stop there. Several dancers emerged and walked out to their dance stages around the bar. Two were human females and the other two were Asari. But the biggest surprised came next. A pair of shirtless human men with sculpted abs and arms came out along with two skimpy clad turians, one male the other female. Together they danced and set the room ablaze with fever. From behind him, Shepard heard James.

"Damn Esteban, looks like they thought of you too when they set up the eye candy."

"I guess I'll have to leave an extra tip tonight," Cortez said in return. The group chuckled from the remark. But James was right about one thing, the performers thought about more than just the men. The ladies could get a piece of the eye candy and the people could even see what the turian dancers offered. A little piece of everything. But it wasn't the dancers that made the bar amazing, it was the atmosphere. The scent of the wood mixed in with the drinks and the people everywhere combined into a great feeling of welcome. Earth in general wasn't very welcome to extraterrestrials after first contact so it was rare to see non-humans around. But right now, while the majority were still human, several of the patrons were alien and they were having a very good time. Shepard looked back at Jacob.

"Did you arrange this?" he asked him.

"Well I knew the owner a few years back and these guys were frequent performers here. So it's one of the ways he could give me a favor. You alright with it?"

"I guess I am. Although you know the thing that goes with music isn't my specialty."

"Oh don't be a bosh'tet Shepard," Tali spoke up. "You had the courage to bust a move with us at our party."

Shepard grinned at her comment. He knew he wasn't good at moving around to the music but time and time again he did bust a move mostly for his friends and crewmates.

"Yeah I guess you're right. But I think I'll need some time and a few drinks before I get to it."

"Don't take too long," Garrus said. "Or we'll have to drag you on to the dance floor if we get the feeling that you're stalling."

"Don't worry, I won't take too long."

"We'll hold you to that," Tali said before she and Garrus and a few of the others moved on to another part of the bar to mingle with the patrons. Jacob and Joker took their seats at the bar and the bartender got to work with their drinks. But Shepard lost sight of one of the people in the group that met him: Kasumi.

"Did you see where Kasumi went?" He asked.

"Don't worry about her," Jacob said. "She told me she was going to record parts of the party for one of her extranet hits." Shepard snorted a chuckle from his nose.

"That's all?"

"There's nothing really valuable here except for the people," Joker said. "I guess in a way she's stealing the special moments the people will share with each other and share it with the Galaxy."

"Well I just hope she doesn't get into too much trouble," Shepard said. Shepard took his stool and sat at the bar next to Jacob and Joker while Liara took her seat beside him.

"What'll it be Commander?" the bartended came over to him. "Oh sorry. Admiral. It's really hard adjusting to the new title when everybody knows you as Commander."

"I'm adjusting to it myself," Shepard said. "But I'll take a whiskey, thanks."

He nodded and looked over at Liara. "And for you miss?" he asked her very politely.

"I'll have the same," Liara smiled at his rather polite behavior obviously due to her looks.

"I'll get them out," He got to work immediately.

While he did, Liara looked passed Shepard to Jacob.

"It's quite a nice place, Jacob," Liara said. "Much more fun and welcoming than the few bars and clubs I've seen."

"Well this is one of the special ones down here," Jacob said. "Before the war started, the owner here was pretty open with the other species and he figured he'd get more recognition if he opened up and have a more mixed theme to it like those on the citadel. He did receive some hate from the xenophobes but that didn't discourage him. Now that it's over, he got the property back and business has been booming."

"All thanks to this fantastic and determined man right here," Liara leaned up next to Shepard and wrapped her arms around him.

"Yeah well, I did have help you know."

"And we were happy to give you it," Jacob said.

"...'til the very end," Joker added in. Shepard smiled at their remark. But then there was a thought that caught a hold of him.

"So does the whole city know about this?"

"About you being here?" Jacob said. 'No. About a special happy hour going on tonight? Yes."

"So I won't cause the bar to be overrun by my fan base?" Shepard asked. "Only the ones who want to have a good time are coming for one tonight. And they'll have the pleasure of sharing a good time with the guest of honor."

"And we're very grateful to have you here tonight," the bartender returned with the two drinks ready.

"Thanks," Shepard said to the tender. They took their glasses into their hands and held them in front of each other.

"What shall we toast to?" Liara asked.

"Don't really know," Shepard said. "There's a lot to toast to. What do you think Jacob?"

"I would say to you, Shepard. But you'd be too generous and say you're not worth it."

"So why don't we give it for this," Joker raised his hand to the patrons around the bar. The ones sitting down with their friends. The ones letting themselves loose on the dance floor. The ones who were alive and having a good time to celebrate the end of the war and beginning of a new era.

"It's what you've been fighting for and now it's a reality." Liara raised her glass, "To a galaxy free and united."

"And the better future that's coming," Shepard clinked her glass with his and drank the intoxicating liquid. Shepard grimaced for a second as the alcohol kicked his senses and shook his head in response to it. Liara had a similar experience and put her glass down right next to his. "You feel up for more, Shepard?"

"Well I don't want to have too much too fast. I've still got to get up on my feet like I promised."

"Then we'll take it slow," Liara said maneuvering herself close to him. "I'm in no hurry."

"I for one am glad that I'm not either," Shepard said. "I'm really happy you're here Liara."

"Where else would I be?" She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Minutes passed by and Shepard went through one more glass with Liara. He looked around to see the flow of the party. The dancing was one of the highlights of the evening, from both the professionals and the patrons. The tropical vibe was a fresh experience than the pure techno vibe of Purgatory and the other clubs Shepard had visited. He saw several of his crew members mingling with the crowd gathering around them. The one that stood out the most was Vega. He was on the dance floor but his dancing was more about showing off his physical condition. He had a gathering of admirers nearby, several human women and asari were taking in Vega's performance that competed with the professionals on the stage. Gabby and Kenneth were sitting at a table talking. About what exactly Shepard didn't know. But it seemed to be pleasant for both of them. Traynor was already starting to dance. But the thing that Shepard noticed was how close she was to an Asari who was dancing next to her. Dancing close to her or dancing with her? Shepard couldn't tell. Cortez, Adams and Chakwas were off to the side talking amongst each other but Shepard knew they would eventually go to do something fun in a little while. Garrus and Tali were getting their grove on already. Tali was moving very fluidly while Garrus's moves were almost as stiff as Shepard's. But Shepard had to admit the tenacity Garrus had for getting out there right away while he delayed his spotlight awhile. Then Shepard saw Kaiden and Miranda getting their own groove on too and they were good at making their moves.

"Feeling up to it?" Liara put her chin on his shoulder. She obviously read that Shepard's attention to the dance floor.

"In a few more minutes," Shepard said.

"Ha!" He heard Joker. "Are you giving another excuse to stall again?"

"Oh you're the one to talk," Liara said. "The last thing I remember was that you were the reluctant one to dance at the party."

"Yeah well I've changed my priorities since then," Joker replied. "And if it'll make you feel any better, I'll come up and dance with you."

"_With_ him?" Liara said in a mock-serious tone.

"In proximity," Joker reacted quickly. "To take some of the heat off of him when the eyes drift his way."

"Thanks Joker," Shepard said. "But I think I can handle this."

Shepard downed the last sip of his glass and stepped down from his stool. Liara followed close behind while Joker and Jacob followed next. He made his way to the dance floor until he found a good spot that was relatively close to where Tali and Garrus were dancing. Shepard looked around for a second before he moved his body. And it didn't take long for everyone to take notice.

"OOOOHHHOOOO!" The singer stretched his reaction into the microphone. "Captain on deck! Make some room people!"

And like that, Shepard was singled out. Liara took a step back while the others made some open for him to move. Shepard should have seen it coming but it was too late now. He heard several cheers and load whistles from the crowd around him. He even saw some of the professional dancers draw their eyes to him while still performing their routines. All he had to do was keep his grove on while the rest watched. All Shepard could think about was where Kasumi was because she was no doubt filming him right now. But thankfully the solo routine didn't last too long. Liara came immediately to Shepard's rescue and danced next to him. Tali, Garrus, Kaidan and even Joker came to aid him along with several of Shepard's crew. Together they made a skeptical that was sure to make Kasumi's vid have over a billion hits in a matter of days on the extranet and might even make it newsworthy.

"Looks like the admiral and his team need some back up for this mission," the singer said after allowing Shepard and his team a few seconds to light the room on fire. "Everyone get in there and give him some support!"

And with that, the patrons joined the battle and moved in with their bodies moving effortlessly to the beat. As the chaos of the dance floor ensued Shepard found some thin he could understand. He locked his gaze with Liara who did the same with him. Seeing her move like she did made him realize how much she had changed since the first time he met her. She moved with much grace and openness, expressing many elements of herself through her routine. It made Shepard feel happy for her knowing she had found a balance between her personal and social aspects of herself. As the music continued, Shepard and Liara danced closer together until it was clear they were dancing with each other. The energy between them grew so big that all the energy around them faded out. In that moment, Shepard's attention was directed at no one but the love of his life. And when Liara looked back at him he knew she felt the same. That moment continued until the crescendo of the song dissipated into the ending. With the end approaching, they brought out the best of their moves and posed when the song ended.

"Give it up for our guest of honor!" The patrons cheered around the duo. With the song over, the pair retreated back to their seats. The next song started just as they sat down.

"You've been getting better," Liara smiled.

"So have you," Shepard smiled back. "Well the only real practice I had was at our party. But I think it helped."

They leaned toward each other and they shared another kiss. Afterward, they looked out to see where the others had gone. Garrus and Tali were taking a rest on the side of the dance floor. James put off his performance and was sitting with Miranda on the sidelines too. Kaiden was with Chakwas chatting with her while Adams, Gabby and Kenneth sat where they were before. When Shepard looked back at the bar's entrance, he saw another surprise he didn't expect. He saw Kelly Chambers walk into through the entrance and started to walk passed the bar to the dance floor. He got out of his chair and walked toward her. He called her name and she turned around to see him.

"Shepard?" Kelly was stunned when she realized who was standing before her. "Oh my gosh you're out of the hospital. How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good actually. You just missed a special moment everyone here won't forget soon."

"They saw you dancing?"

"I made a promise to Garrus and the gang. Couldn't let him down."

"Well I'm so glad to see you," Kelly came close to him and they shared a quick hug. "Where's everyone else?"

"Right this way," Shepard led her to where Jacob, Chakwas and several of the Normandy crew were.

"Kelly Chambers?" Jacob said. "How'd you get here?"

"I was relocated to Rio after some time helping at a refugee camp a few miles from here. I came by because I heard there was a celebration here tonight." She looked back at Shepard. "And now I know why."

"Well it's good to have you here," Gabby said. "And might I say you look pretty good with your new look."

"Well this actually saved my life believe it or not and it was Shepard's idea. Before the coup by Cerberus, Shepard said I should change my identity to cover my tracks. When the troops came looking for me, they didn't recognize me."

"Wow," Kenneth said with his eyes wide open. "I didn't think that a change to a blond would actually save a person's life."

"Well Shepard," Jacob said looking up at him. "It looks like you saved yet another damsel in distress."

"I guess it's a habit," Shepard said. "You have a good time, Kelly. I've got to handle some things of my own."

"Of course you do," Kelly smiled. "I'm very happy to see you."

Shepard was about to make his way back to Liara to see her out of her chair and talking to someone just a few steps away from the bar. The person she was talking to gave Shepard a moment of disbelief.

"Shepard," Liara smiled when he came up to her side. "We have another guest tonight."

"Admiral Shepard," Javik nodded to him. "I want to congratulate you."

"Thanks Javik. How'd you know to come here?"

"Oh I let him know," Liara said.

"But I thought you didn't like these sorts of things Javik," Shepard said.

"I don't," Javik said. "But it's one of the many things that I haven't been able to experience in my cycle. So I believe I will give it another try."

Shepard suppressed a smile remembering what happened to Javik at the party on the Citadel. He didn't participate in many group activities or dance like the others but he did join Zaeed and Wrex for a bottle shoot out with training rounds so no one would get seriously injured if they missed. And in the morning Shepard found Javik a little more than tipsy going on about the Prothean empire and other things he didn't normally say. But after that night, Javik was back to his normal self. Tonight, Shepard wondered what Javik would do with a gathering of total strangers around him.

"Hey," Shepard and Javik turned to see a rather tipsy human woman walk up to them. "You- you're that Prothean guy right."

"Yes," Javik said. "The last voice of the Prothean Empire."

"Are you really?!" An Asari shouted out behind Shepard. He saw she was tipsy too. "By the goddess. Are you here for the party?"

Javik hesitated. Normally he would have said no upfront and perhaps hurt some kind person's feelings. But now after everything he'd seen of the 'primitive species' as they are working in peace, he was a little less hard and a little more open. Right now, he didn't know what to do.

"I suppose I am-."

"Great," she took Javik's hand and began to pull him with her. "Come and have a drink with me."

"Wait no," the human women took his other hand and pulled him the other way. "I'll give you the best fun this night."

"Don't listen to the short lived human," the Asari pulled back. "I'm more interesting by centuries."

"Don't listen to that old hag," the human pulled back. "It's more exciting when life moves fast."

"Hey ladies," Shepard stepped in. "Why don't you both show him a good time together. You both have the fun while he has twice as much fun at the same time."

"Okay. Why not?" Then both of the girls pulled in the same direction while Javik followed a little reluctantly. Javik gave the Commander a look of confusion that almost meant "What exactly am I supposed to do?" "It's alright Javik," Shepard whispered loud enough for Javik to hear over the music.

"Just go with it and it'll be alright."

When Javik and the girls adjourned to one of the corner booths, Liara came to Shepard's side with a fun smile.

"Do you think that asari might have been you back then?" Shepard asked Liara.

"I don't know about the tipsy part," Liara replied. "But I might have been that excited to get close to him. But I admit I am a little concerned for him."

"Oh he'll be fine," Shepard said. "I think he's got to learn the feelings of peace on step at a time and this'll be a good way for that."

"Well at least he has some admirers other than the Hanar."

Shepard chuckled and both of them returned to their seats at the bar. After several more minutes of fun music and playful conversations, the singer spoke out to the audience once the last song was complete.

"Alright ladies and gents are you having a great time?" The bar erupted into a large blast of cheers. "Well we're glad you are because we're at that part of the evening that I personally love." The silence that followed came as the breathe that was held for the surprise. "That's right, it's karaoke time!" Shepard was taken aback when he heard karaoke. Dancing was one thing, but singing... he tried to not think about it.

"And as a token of our appreciation," the singer continued. "We've decided our guest of honor gets off free for the night."

The crowd booed a little bit.

"Now, now. He's done our request to save the galaxy and giving us his skill on the dance floor already. You should understand it's only fair." There was a sigh that meant that the majority of the patrons understood. "So now who's going to be our first singer tonight?" The lights flashed all around the bar again until only one was fully lit while the rest were dimed. The eyes of the patrons moved to the light. And even Shepard was surprised who was under light.

Garrus was almost in shock when he looked around to see everyone's eyes on him. He was slow to move until Tali gave him a very playful push and the rest of the patrons helped out until he was on the stage.

"So what is your name my good Turian friend?" he put his Omni-tool to Garrus's mandible. "Garrus Vakarian."

"Oh?" the singer was stunned for a moment. "The Garrus Vakarian? Shepard's squad mate who went with him to hell and back?"

"Since the near beginning," Garrus said with a little pride that he managed to get past the nervousness.

"Well here's how you can congratulate his promotion tonight," the singer activated his Omni-tool and synced the microphone function over to Garrus's Omni-tool so it would take in Garrus's voice and send it through the speakers. Garrus was a little frightened until he looked up at the hologram in front of the stage that started to display the lyrics. As the words lit up to the pace of the song, Garrus started sing. At first it was more like he was speaking the lyrics. But as the song moved along, Garrus was getting the rhythm and melody down and it actually felt like he was singing. As he did so, Shepard moved over to Tali who was cheering him on by the side of dance floor.

"He's pretty talented isn't he?" he said to Tali when he reached her side. "I didn't think he had it in him," Tali looked at Shepard before looking back at Garrus. "But he is full of surprises."

"He sure is," Shepard watched as Garrus continued to get the rhythm of the lyrics down. "So I never got to ask. Was it really just a fling after all?"

Tali looked back at Shepard. When Shepard caught the both of them having an intimate moment in the forward battery before getting ready for Earth, Shepard was happy that they were together. But Tali said to Garrus that it was only a fling and she was using him for his body. But Shepard knew it would grow to be more than that.

"I thought it was going to be," Tali said. "But it grew so much after you defeated the Reapers." Shepard smiled knowing now that he was right about 'them.'

"Is it everything you were hoping for?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh I don't know," Shepard said. "I was kind of thinking this thing was turning into some kind of romantic star crossed love story. A beautiful admiral of the flotilla and a handsome Turian officer of the fleet."

Tali was shocked when she put the pieces together. "Fleet and Flotilla? Oh please! He's not nearly as charming as Bellicus."

"Really? I think the voice's something that almost any girl would fall for. Plus the scares give a nice touch."

"Since when do you know what a girl likes?" "Mmmm, just a hunch. But in all seriousness, is he good enough for you?"

"Well..." Tali said. "Yeah, I think so. He's very dedicated to his people like I am to mine. And we've been through a lot under your command. So I think that he's good."

"But not as good as Bellicus?"

"I guess in some ways I like him a little more than Bellicus. And he's an actually person who knows me and I'm learning more about him every day. So yes I think he's better than Bellicus."

"So will it be as good as 'Fleet and flotilla?'"

"No," Tali said. "I believe it'll be better." Shepard smiled. "I'm happy for you Tali."

"As am I for you and Liara." She came over and gave him a hug. Garrus finished the last part of the song just as Tali finished her conversation with Shepard.

"Thank you, Vakerian," The singer said. "Now it's time for singer number two of the evening." The lights flashed around again until it came down on an Asari who walked up the stage in excitement. As she prepared for her song, Garrus walked back to where Tali and Shepard were.

"Shepard!" Garrus called out. "Were you trying to steal my girl while I made a fool of myself?"

"Hey," Shepard raised his hands in defense. "I was only giving her company while you impressed everybody with your irresistible charm. I have no chance with her compared to you."

"Right," Garrus said with a I-don't-buy-it tone which was obviously mock angered. "Well I believe that you two have had enough fun together. I believe it's time we go back to our real dates before anyone else gets suspicious of our loyalties."

"No harm no foul," Shepard said. He looked back a Tali and gave a nod in her direction. He walked back to his seat next to Liara.

"So," Liara said to him. "Keeping Tali company while Garrus impresses all of us with his irresistible charm."

"Just wanted to ask how it's going between them. And from the sound of it, it going very well."

"Well that's good to know," Liara said. "Although I could see a little energy between you and her."

"What?" Shepard was a little alarmed.

"Relax Shepard I'm not accusing you of anything," Liara said smiling. "Me and Tali already talked about it."

"Talked about what?"

"Oh, about your adventure on your suicide mission that I turned down because I was so selfish," When she said selfish, it was a sarcastic mock-guilty tone. "She talked about how you were able to prevent her from being banished from the flotilla and keep her father's legacy untainted."

"It was something that I needed to do for her and everyone else's sake. I couldn't let her be banished for a crime she didn't commit."

"A gift of generosity, like many of the things you do. I know that part. But Tali said she took it in as more than a friend giving help. I won't lie Shepard, the way you two act, it seems you two would make a rather good pair if I wasn't in the picture."

"Liara!" Shepard raised his voice a little sounding appalled. "I'd never do that."

"I know you wouldn't," Liara said putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him. He relaxed and Liara put her hand back down to her side. "But I'm talking as a friend who's having a talk about hypothetical situations." Shepard was a little drawn back by what Liara was saying.

"You mean 'what ifs' and other things?"

"Yes," Liara said. "That's basically what me and Tali talked about when you were recovering. A girl-to-girl talk if you will."

"So what did you talk about?"

"She talked about how she almost got close enough to you before you came back to give me the information to start our adventure." The adventure part meaning the hunt for the Shadow Broker. Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. The embarrassment took a hold when the memories came to him.

"Liara I..."

"Relax Shepard," Liara said with reassuring smile. "I understood why this happened at the time and I understood why Tali did what she did. But she and I are good with it and we've forgiven each other. It was just a game of confession between two friends." Shepard's anxiety decreased and he relaxed.

"A game of confession, huh? What did you two confess?"

"I confessed several of the embarrassing things I've said to you when we talked on the Normandy and the steps we took until I eventually got around to your personal side." Shepard huffed out of his nose at the amusement that came when he pictured Liara telling Tali her story of her coming together with him.

"And what did Tali confess?"

"She confessed to me that she download several education vids about reading human body language and courtship to prepare herself. She also told me about what she told you about 'intimacy' when it came to suit environments. And she told me how close she got to you before you told her that you were still faithful to me despite what I said to you when we met on Illium." Shepard dipped his head down.

"So you won't be angry if I confess something to you now?"

"Not at all," Liara said. "It's all in the past. It's done and over with."

"Okay," Shepard took a deep breath. "I will confess that Tali and I almost came close. When she was on the SR-1, she was so very young and after I met her on Freedom's progress I saw how much she grew up. She told me she was just a kid on her pilgrimage and now she's a leader for her people. She really needed support and I was happy to give it to her as a friend. But when I helped her out and she talked to me, it reminded me of you."

"You mean how I changed from a shy unsociable hermit to an unflinching information broker hiring her own mercenary recruits to do my own dirty work?"

Shepard shook his head. "A person who had matured and took the next step in their life even thougt it was directed on a dark path at the time."

"Then what made you come back for me when you could have gone with Tali? After what I said to you, I wouldn't have been surprised to see you move on to find someone else who wasn't driven by anger. I know it wasn't just because of an eternity, Shepard. What made you try to win me back?" Shepard took a deep breath to compose himself.

"Well that eternity was one of biggest things. I still remember that night as clear as day and all the thoughts and feelings you shared with me. And even under all the anger and hate, I could still see those things in you and it took me a little while to realize it. So when Tali came to me, I told her about my feelings I still had for you and she understood. When Cerberus forwarded the data to me to give you, I knew it was my chance to bring those things I remembered about you back out again." Liara paused for a while to take in what Shepard said.

"Well I'm happy that you persisted with me, Shepard." She put her arm around the back of his neck and pulled herself close to him. "I don't know what else I'd be if you hadn't been there for me. You've given me more purpose to my life than filing information on CPUs."

"You've done the same for me, Liara," Shepard put his hand onto the side of her cheek. "Without you I might not be alive to have something more to live for. Whatever happens from here, I hope to give you the greatest time of your life."

"And I look forward to that," Liara came closer and shared and very long kiss together. Sure everyone could see them but there wasn't really anything for them to hide. It was a night to let themselves go and they were doing that right now. The last karaoke singer finished his song and the lead singer of the band took the stage again.

"Alright people it's time we slow things down for a special part of the evening. Before we do that, we want to have moment to speak on behalf our band and our many fans. This goes out not only to our beloved hero and his crew of amazing followers but to everyone here and across the stars. Let us remember what everyone fought for and what many of our friends died for. We fought so we could live our lives the way we want to and for our loved ones we hold so close to each of our hearts. We fought to trust one another no matter what world you were born from. We are all alive today because of how we were able to reach out and work together with people who are so different than us. If we learned anything from this war, it's that we can achieve the greatest things when we all work together. And now that it's over, we can now work together for a better future. Not just a better future from sharing technology and resources, but to have a future where there are no boundaries keeping any of us apart." He paused and looked Shepard's way before he continued. "On behalf of our band, we want to give you our thanks to you, Shepard. You and your crew not only saved us, but it taught us that this future is possible. It made us realize we're all people. Not just humans, asari, turians or krogan, but people. We may be so different sometimes but many times we're not that different at all. We all share so much in common and you made us realize that.

"As a request from us to all of you here tonight, if you have that special one by your side, be it your loved one or just a good friend, we want you to come out here on the dance floor and share a special moment with them."

Shepard looked over at Liara who looked back at him with the same look. They took each other's hand and walked down to the dance floor where everyone was getting together with their special ones. He saw Garrus and Tali getting together along with Kenneth and Gabby. And believe it or not, Shepard saw Conrad Verner with Jenna. Shepard thought about why Conrad didn't come up to him already since he was here all night so far and the singer said his name over and over. He guessed it must have been because Conrad heeded the singer's request and gave him some space for tonight. But before Shepard turned his head back to Liara, he saw Conrad look at him and give a nod at him and pointed in his direction before making that hand into a thumbs up. Shepard was taken aback when Conrad did what he did but he quickly turned his attention back to Liara as they prepared to dance.

The music started. It was a very slowly paced song that radiated with the soft melody of love and gentleness. The singer's voice was a blend of romanticism and gentleness that flowed effortlessly with the melody of the music. It filled the atmosphere with a deep passion but also a deep calm feeling. It felt... peaceful.

Peace. The thing Shepard hoped would come if he succeeded in defeating the Reapers. He hadn't known the true feeling of it having only experienced conflict nearly all his life. From the brutal streets of earth to his tour of duty as one of the Alliance's elite N7s who lead the resistance of Elysium against the slavers. And after that, three long years of conflict with sinister machines hell-bent on harvesting all advanced organic life. But it was finally over, and everyone was working together to rebuild what was lost. But it wasn't only about rebuilding, it was also about renewing. To have fresh start. For the galaxy, the Krogan and the Batarains were the ones given a chance to start over and hopefully for the better. But for Shepard, it was starting a new life all together. Without a war for him to fight, he had to find another purpose. And that purpose was standing in front of him.

As the song moved along, Shepard caught glimpses of the other couples dancing around them. He saw Garrus and Tali moving together rather gracefully while Kenneth was struggling a little but Gabby was able to lead him reasonably enough. Vega made an impression with Miranda while, by surprise, Joker was on his feet with Chakwas. From what he saw, she was careful to be gentle with her touching him.

Even the professions were getting together on the stage. The male turian started to dance with one of the human female dancers while the female turian got together with one of the shirtless human males. The other human male got together with the one of the Asari dancers while the last Asari dancer got together with the last female dancer. Together with the patrons, they all made a display of a deep emotion of gentleness and love that spread out to all corners of the bar.

Shepard retuned his gaze to Liara as they spun gracefully together around the dance floor. Their matching blue eyes locked into each other and the world around them faded away. In that moment, it felt like an eternity had been embraced. They saw everything they loved in each other. After that day he saved her on Therum, the greatest journey both of them would take had begun. As both of them and the crew of the Normandy chased down Saren, the bond between them grew. Before they arrived at the final confrontation, they took that moment to share themselves like lovers. After that night, things wouldn't be the same for either of them.

When the unthinkable happened, the one who was left alive traveled down a dangerous road of revenge that threatened to cost her morality and even her purpose in life. Even when the one she cared for had returned from the grave to fight those who killed him, she was so withdrawn from her older self that she couldn't return to how she was. But after her journey of revenge was complete, his presence brought back the feelings she thought were gone. She question herself if she could do it again. If she should do it again. She was hesitant but he made a final move and he brought her back into his arms. And it was followed by a promise made to come back to her and a promise for something that would come when it was over: little blue children.

When the war started, they were reunited and fought side by side to unite the galaxy to save itself from its destruction. After all the twists and turns, all the difficult decisions, changing the course of history, the heartbreaking defeats and a one final effort, it was all over. All that remained was a galaxy united and a crew of a band of brothers and sisters that had shaped the face of the galaxy. And in that band, a love story had been born. When it was thought to have ended when the end of the war came, it had survived. The story hadn't ended, it had only begun.

As the song drew to its close, Shepard and Liara embraced each other tightly. The first chapter of their story had been written and the rest of the book was open for them to continue it. Together they would write the story of their lives.

* * *

**Author's note:** Sorry for the delay this chapter turned out to be longer than I planned and it took longer to put it together. But I've managed to get this done and upload it to you and I hope you enjoy it.

As for an update on my activities, I regret to say I have to get back to doing a StarCraft fic that I promised to return to this month so that will take some of my time. But most of my free time will be devoted to this story until I get to my surprise I have in store for you. Once I get there, updates for this story will be slower as I will need to finish my other story on the shorter time table I have for that story. But I assure you, I will never abandon this story and I will see it through for all of you.

**Update:** The Chapter has been updated with corrections.


	11. Chapter 11

ANN report:_ In other news, a recent extranet video has broken nearly one billion views within a single day. Apparently the newly promoted Admiral Shepard had attended a festive party in Rio de Janeiro and managed to show off his own moves for the people to see. The uploader's identity is unknown but whoever filmed the party has caught the essence of what the galaxy is doing now that the war is over. It's been a good time indeed._

* * *

In London, rain was a very common weather pattern. At the beginning of the 21st century, when a person talked about London, many people thought about people walking down the streets with umbrellas along with the iconic red phone booths scattered around the city. Right now, the stereotype had come into play to make the mood appropriate. The wet air filled Shepard's lungs as he proceeded across the grass. Liara walked by his side holding up an umbrella for both of them while the Normandy crew followed behind him. Up ahead, the others were waiting for Shepard's arrival.

Hackett had told Shepard that Anderson's body was already buried but the official funeral service that would be held for him would wait until Shepard either woke up or never did. Now that he was, they could hear what the Admiral's protégé had to say for the man who kept Earth alive until Shepard returned.

Shepard made out several familiar faces amongst the gathering. Hackett stood in front row of several Alliance officers lined up side-by-side, one of which Shepard recognized as Major Coats. Right next to Hackett was Kahlee Sanders, the head of Grissom Academy and a very close friend of Anderson. Former councilors Sparatus, Tevos and Valern were also present and several Salerian, Turian and Asari officers had joined too. It made Shepard feel good knowing that there were several of other species who recognized to bravery of the one who they had gathered to honor today. When Shepard arrived, the gathering looked in his direction and the Alliance officers saluted. Shepard saluted back and stopped in front of the audience with his crew by his side.

"I want to thank you all for coming here this afternoon," Shepard said to the audience with a clear voice that was easy to be heard over the downcast.

"We are gathered here to honor the life and the service of Admiral David Anderson."

Shepard looked down at the grave stone that bore the name of the one who he spoke of. He paused for a second to gather his will to continue.

"Anderson was one of the greatest and most dedicated soldiers of the Alliance. Through his leadership and sacrifice, the people of Earth came together and fought their hardest against the Reapers. He held the line to protect what was left of Earth until we arrived to help him and the rest of Earth's people to defeat the Reapers once and for all. And now with Reaper's destroyed, his bravery, his determination and his sacrifice has been vindicated."

Shepard paused to vent the emotional weight that was coming down on him. Never before he felt this emotional over a loss of a friend. Mordin, Legion and Thane were very emotion losses for Shepard. But the loss of Anderson took a larger toll on Shepard because of how close Shepard was to him.

"I want to tell you what this man has done for me and why I am thankful to have served under him. When I became his executive officer on the Normandy, I knew little about him only he was one of the Alliance's best leaders with a reputation that was noticed by the Citadel council. As time passed working under his lead, I knew more about him and knew what drove him to do what he did. He reminded me about why I continued to serve in the Alliance after I enlisted to escape the hard life I had. What it means to be an Alliance soldier is to give yourself for the greater good of not only humanity but for every person in the galaxy. It's more than holding a gun to kill the Alliance's enemies. It's to protect the people who truly matter and to allow them to bring humanity and its allies to a better future. And now with the Reapers defeated, I believe that that better future will come true thanks to everyone's part they played. It's something that Anderson believed in and I'm happy that it'll happen for both our sake and for his."

Shepard paused again before he continued with the most personal part of his speech.

"Having never known my father growing up, Anderson was the closest thing I had to one. It was his influence that drove me to achieve my goals and protect the innocent from harm. I am the man I am today because of him. Before he died beside me on the Citadel, he told me he was proud of me. Proud for what I had done for humanity and for everyone living in this galaxy. And I only hope that I can continue to make him proud in the future. May he rest in peace."

Shepard and his crew stepped from the grave stone to his standing spot next to the Alliance personnel. As the service continued, several Alliance personnel stepped up to deliver their speeches for Anderson and the Councilors along with the alien officers said their remarks and gave their respects to Anderson. Once the last person had spoken, the Alliance soldiers standing guard with modern replica M14s proceeded with the highest honor for any soldier, the 21 gun salute. Once the last shots were fired, the trumpeter played the timeless tune "Taps."

When it was over, everyone talked amongst each other until they departed one by one. Shepard stood in front of the gravestone looking down at the words of _David Edward Anderson._ The rain had stopped leaving only the damp grass at his feet. After several minutes of staring at the name, Shepard saw someone approaching him from the corner of his eye. He looked to see it was Kahlee Sanders.

"Miss Sanders," Shepard said to her. "I'm happy that you're okay."

"As I am for you Shepard," Kahlee said. "I can't thank you enough for saving me and my students. That was a very nice thing that you said for David."

"My words aren't enough to express my gratitude for him. It hurts me more than anything to see him leave."

"Well I know that you really did make him proud, Shepard. More than any other person could ever do."

Kahlee tilted her head down with the emotional build up. Shepard put his hand on her shoulder.

"Will you be okay?"

Kahlee nodded. "I know that David would have wanted it to be like this. To die knowing that humanity was saved and would start on a path for a better future. And he'd be happy to see the people he cared for still alive to make that future a reality. Wherever he is now, I'm sure he's happy for me and more for you. You've done him more than justice Shepard. You've done him the greatest service anyone could ever do for anyone. He _is_ proud of you."

"Thank you, Miss Sanders. I appreciate it."

Kahlee came closer and she shared a quick hug with him. She gave Shepard a nod before she turned to return to the Alliance personnel waiting for her. Shepard turned back to the stone for a few more minutes. When his time of honoring his last respects had pasted, he spoke his final words to him.

"Good bye old friend. Thank you for everything."

He then turned around and left to join his crew. Anderson was at rest and Shepard knew he made him proud.

* * *

The shuttle door opened to revile the sunlight that peered into the holding area and into Shepard's eyes. He blocked the sun with his hand as he stood up from his seat and proceeded out of the door. When his eyes adjusted, he saw the sun gleam over the hull of a freighter in dry dock. But not just any freighter, it was Shepard's.

The Normandy stood in its awe inspiring display. Just as Shepard had remembered it the last time he saw it. It had been a long time since he'd been separated from it. Now with the sun glistening off of its shining Silaris armor, the ship made him happy to see it again.

"You know," Liara said. "I never really took the time to see how beautiful the Normandy is."

"Every time I look at her, I feel the same way. It seems we can never give the right about of appreciation for her."

The ship was a symbol of both the Alliance and the rest of the Galaxy. It wasn't just the cutting edge engines and stealth systems that made this ship special, it was those who served on it. A crew of many backgrounds coming together on an adventure that changed the galaxy forever. After taking in the sight for several minutes, someone approached them. Shepard turned to see it was Hackett.

"Admiral," Shepard said and gave him a salute.

"Shepard," Hackett nodded and stopped in front of him. "You're no longer required to salute those of your own rank now."

"Yes of course," Shepard said. He looked back up at the ship. "She's a beautiful ship isn't she?"

"The crown jewel of the Alliance Navy. And it's all yours Shepard. I know you've done a good job to take good care of her in the past and I know you'll do so in the future."

"You know I will," Shepard said. "So what happens now?"

"Since you're an admiral, you're the one making the calls and getting all the information. However I've done you a few favors so you won't be bombarded by too much paperwork while you go around on your journey around the galaxy. And I took the liberty of sending you a condensed report on what's happening in Council and Alliance Space to decide what you want to do first."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Shepard said remembering that he no longer has to address Hackett as sir anymore. "I'll continue to keep the Alliance updated if anything comes up during my tour."

"Then I won't keep you from your crew any longer. They're waiting for you at the docking tube," Hackett put out his hand and Shepard shook it. "Best of luck to you Shepard."

"You too," Shepard said.

Hackett nodded and went his way. Shepard looked back at Liara and they smiled at each other. Both of them were excited to get back onto the ship. They took each other's hand and proceeded down the walk way were they caught sight of the docking tube. And like Hackett said, his crew was waiting by it. Joker, Vega, Cortez, Traynor, Garrus, Tali, Kaiden, Adams, Chakwas, Kenneth, Gabby, and Javik stood together to greet their officer.

"Admiral on deck," Vega spoke out and saluted. The rest of the group did the same.

"At ease everyone," Shepard said. And everyone did so. "I'm happy to see all of you here."

"We wouldn't miss it Shepard," Joker said. "You're the one who needs to see the galaxy you fought for and you need a ship complete with Pilot and crew."

Shepard smiled. "Before we do, I need to say something to all of you. I've never served under a better crew than all of you standing here an all the others who served on her in the past. We've had quite an adventure on the Normandy. And I'd like to ask you all to join me for one final tour across the galaxy with her."

"It'd be our honor Shepard," Kaiden said. Everyone else nodded to say the same thing to him.

"I thank every one of you," Shepard said. "Everyone report to your stations and prepare her for lift off."

"Yes sir!" Everyone proceeded onto the ship leaving Liara and Shepard alone for the moment. Shepard looked over at her.

"I suppose the Shadow Broker has quite a lot of work to do?" Shepard said.

"More than enough to keep her occupied for the rest of the day," Liara regrettably replied. "But I'd be happy to join you for some time alone in your cabin when I catch a break."

The urgency had built up in him ever since he woke up to see her face again. But Shepard knew that he couldn't let personal stuff get in the way, even with the war over. Liara was the one who was doing all the work so he couldn't let her deviate too soon for too long.

"I won't want you to rush your work for my sake. None of us are going anywhere so we'll have our time together."

"And I look forward to it," Liara smiled teasingly tempting Shepard's attraction to her. Shepard gently put his hand on the back of her crest and brought his lips to hers. Afterwards, they both proceeded down the tube and entered the ship together.

* * *

Shepard leaned back in his chair and exhaled. He had toured the ship to see how it was. To his surprise it seemed mostly the same when he was last aboard it. The war room was functioning, the galaxy map in the CIC and the cockpit were operational. Liara's office was functioning and she was functioning as well with it. To Shepard's surprise, he saw what he thought was Glyph floating around in the room. Liara explained that Glyph's interface was nearly all destroyed when the blast reached the Normandy and she needed a new one. So, with schematics she received from Faron and some help from Kasumi and Tali, they created a new drone to help her. It had the same voice as the old one and almost the same behavior and it performed the same functions. Liara named him Glyph II.

Garrus was of coarse at the main gun making his usual calibrations. The AI core was closed down as Shepard expected so he didn't bother to look into there. The engineering deck was functioning as best as it could thanks to Adams, Gabby, Kenneth and Tali keeping the engine running. The starboard cargo hold was cleared since Dianna Allers left to continue her stories now the war was over. When Shepard later checked his E-mail, he received a personal thank you from her and gave several links to stories about people who looked up to Shepard based on what he did. Javik was back in his place in the port hold. Shepard understood why he wanted to come before Shepard asked. It was to see what the Galaxy had become thanks to Shepard's bravery and choice to end the Reapers once and for all. And Steve and Vega were doing their job in the hanger keeping the Kodiak in working condition. All and all the ship was in great shape. The last place he looked at was the memorial wall and the two new names added to it. EDI's name plate was added on to the other names of the crew hands who died in service to the Normandy. And right in the center was the name of their first commanding officer, David Anderson. Garrus explained that they nearly put Shepard's own plate on the wall but Liara was hesitant to do so. Shepard could see where his name might have gone if he hadn't been able to live through his ordeal. He gave his respects to everyone who served under him before he retreated to his cabin. It was very refurbished and much like the way he remembered it. His models were where they should be and the fish were still alive in his tank. All and all, the ship was in good shape and good to go. He then sat down at his terminal and went through his emails and got around to reading the report Hackett formed for him.

The report contained most of the important activities the Alliance and the Council fleets were up to. The GN7 had several operations going out in the Traverse and a handful of times they assisted the Militia in their efforts against the warlords attempting to rise above the people.

There were also notes on the chasing down on the ruminants of Cerberus. The Militia took some extra pride in hunting down key members out in Terminus while the GN7 found many strongholds in the traverse and the further reaches of Council and Alliance space. The resources they also recovered proved useful too. The funds Cerberus stashed away were used immediately for the purchase of medical supplies and to fund several charities like Help A Dream. Knowing Cerberus, the money they had was probably tainted with the blood of innocent victims. But there were several people who believe that the way to clean the taint was to use the money for something irrefutably good. Shepard did find that it worked for him. Mealon spilled innocent blood trying to cure the Genophage, but when Mordin took the data to continue to find a cure, no more unnecessary test subjects were used and Eve survived when the last samples of the cure was extracted before he dispersed it. The research data from Cronos Station was useful as well for further research and development. But the alliance officers were picky in what they chose to recover. The indoctrination procedures as well as the methods of controlling the reaper husks were destroyed immediately while other research data, including weapon designs, engineering improvements of power cores, and medical research were salvaged.

The other half of the report regarded the politics happening. It was much like what Hackett had told him regarding the council races including the newest members, the Elcor, Hanar and Volus. As for the other Races, talks were being held for possible candidates to join the council in the future. The one's in question were the Krogan, Batarians, Drell and Quarians.

Some were skeptical for the Krogan to be given a seat on the council, even some the Krogan sympathizers were a little nervous. But considering their invaluable efforts on the ground against the Reapers on Palavin and all the other worlds, their actions got the community and the new councilors talking. From the looks of it, it seemed the Krogan would get their chance to have their say as long as the Delatrass doesn't cause too much trouble to hinder the Krogan's progress. For the time being, the Krogan were given the curtsy of an embassy.

For the Batarians, it was going to be longer before people would consider them to join the community. Because of their history with humanity and the council, they were in a less sympathetic light than the Krogan were. But with their numbers at a very low level and their new republic being formed, it was defiantly a step in the right direction to have them reconnect to the community. With their fewer numbers, they could expand to their previously overrun colonies until they needed to expand further. There were even rumors of possible worlds overlooked by the Militia that could be given to the Batarians. And their relationship with humanity was beginning to heal due in part to the newly discovered world the Normandy found. The planet was now call "Serenity" and the Human and Batarian presence would pave a way for cooperation in the future.

The Drell's numbers were very low and had little to contribute to the community except for helping the Hanar who watched over them. But with their contribution in the war effort, their name for a council spot was closer than they were before. Once the Drell people were able to stand on their own feet and establish themselves from the Hanar, then they would get their seat on the council in time. Like the Krogan and Batarians, they had their own embassy opened.

Then there was the Quairans. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of activity from the Quairans to paint a clear picture. Everyone assumed they were settling in on their homeworld now that it was finally given back to them. However, several of the Migrant Fleet's ships were out to give transport services for both supplies and refugees both in Council Space and the Traverse. And there was even rumors of lucrative trading deals with the Militia since the Quairan homeworld was at the edge of the Terminus systems near the edge of the Traverse.

Their name for a seat on the council was sketchy considering they were withdrawn from the community for such a long time and the only Quairans seen were the ones who were on their pilgrimage. Tali had told Shepard some of the activities they've been up to but it was mostly what Shepard already read in the report. But in time, the community would be happy to accept them into the Council membership.

As for Humanity's situation, it was much like Hackett already said to him. The fleet sizes were diminished by nearly 50% over the course of the war but the ones that remained were still strong and several ships were now in the process of being manufactured thanks to the recourses provided by Aria and the Militia. The Alliance was also hard at work rebuilding Arcturus station although most of the efforts were focused on Earth and the colonies. The Station's progress was around 25% completion, due to a large contribution from the Rachni and some alien engineers. The Alliance Government had put itself in London for the time being and it's new leaders were elected shortly after the war had ended. And with the Alliance's efforts, as Hackett said to Shepard already, the underdeveloped countries were given the support they needed even before the Reapers arrived. In time, they would be able to make their own contributions to the Alliance once they stood on their feet and took care of their own citizens with the care and respect they should have gotten centuries ago.

But an important factor wasn't overlooked: the Leviathan. Once Shepard had found the creature and learned about the Reaper's shadowy origins, Hackett ordered a team to retrieve the Artifacts on the derelict vessel afloat on the ocean. The Artifacts were then carried behind enemy lines by special forces of every race to be used against the Reaper forces. Now that the war was over and the immediate threat of the Reapers was gone, the only other force that was more powerful than the galactic community combined was the Leviathan. The report said once the Reapers were destroyed and the Relay network was reestablished, Hackett over saw the operation to retrieve the artifacts placed throughout the worlds previously occupied by the Reapers. Once the artifacts were retrieved they were destroyed save a handful of Artifacts that were sent to a secure and heavily safeguarded facility. The report also said that the Relay to Sigurd's cradle was reopened so the recourses could flow for both the Alliance and the Militia forces, but the militia have established that the Psi-trope system, the system where 2181 Destopia, the planet the Leviathan was discovered on, was to be a no-go zone while it was monitored by unmanned probes to see if there was any activity happening within the system regarding the Leviathans.

All and all, things looked very good for the Galaxy as a whole. The people were getting the care they needed and supplies were rationed appropriately for the refugees and it would support them enough until the agriculture exports met all the demands. After several minutes of reviewing the reports, Shepard got out of his chair and proceeded to the elevator. It open up on the command deck and Shepard walked all the way to the cockpit where Joker was.

"Admiral," Joker said swiveling his chair around to face him. "All systems are reporting green. You've got our first destination?"

"Tuchanka," Shepard said. "Wrex's requesting some medical supplies so we'll go ahead and make a delivery to him."

"Aye Aye, Admiral," Joker said. "A quick stop the convoy and we'll be at our destination in several hours."

Shepard walked over to the co-pilot seat and he sat down in it. He did know how piloting a ship worked but he wasn't as experienced as professional pilots like Joker. It was quiet amazing to see Joker's fingers moving smoothly across the dashboard as he gently pulled the ship out of the docking bay. As the nose rose up to the sky, the momentum of the ship picked up as it accelerated to the clouds above. The feel of the ship filled Shepard up with the familiar feeling of flying. It was something that no one could describe, but Shepard knew that Joker, and the rest of the Crew felt the same feeling too.

Shepard took in the moments as the images in the viewports blurred with the clouds passing by until the ship broke through to the clear blue sky. And several moments later, the clear blue sky started to fade away to the dark void beyond with the display of stars. Out in those stars were all the worlds who were safe and rebuilding for a new beginning all thanks to him and the rest of the soldiers who stood up to fight.

"Attention all passengers," Joker said. "On our starboard side you'll see earth's new tourist attraction; the Citadel. Reopening whenever it's repaired."

It was quite a view to see the Citadel again. Like in the vids, the major pieces had been put back into place. But unlike the vids, seeing it through the windows of the ship was more breath taking. Shepard saw several ships around the station overseeing the repairs being made to it. It was going to take a while but they were making serious progress with it.

Several minutes later, Shepard could see the Charon Relay approaching. Joker maneuvered the Ship closer and turned to approach it at the angle. The distance closed and the energy emanating from the jump mechanism surged onto the Ship until it hit its peak and was shot from the solar system across Galaxy.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize again for the delay. For future updates, I will be uploading only on Sundays from now on so if I don't update a chapter the following Sunday, then it'll be up the Sunday after. I already have Chapter 12 underway and it'll indefinitely be up next week.

As for my other projects that are consuming my attention, my StarCraft fic will be one of my focuses after I get to my surprise I have in store for you in a few more Chapters. After that, my focus will shift primarily to StarCraft. But every two or three weeks I'll try to keep the updates going for this story while I work to get Starcraft done. I'll see you again on the next Chapter. Stay tuned! :)

**Update:** This chapter has been updated with adjusted dialog.


	12. Chapter 12

Pain was the only thing Shepard could feel. Burns, cuts, punctures, broken bones and a crippling headache that blurred his vision. He looked down to see his hands blood soaked and burned and the rest of his body was clad in a scorched set of armor that was falling apart. When he looked around him through his blurred eyes, he could see the only thing that could match this pain he was in.

War.

High above, Reapers stood overlooking the ground vaporizing those who were caught in their beams. Around him, hundreds of husks ran at Alliance soldiers overwhelming them with their numbers. Civilians were chased down by Collectors and stuffed into their pods while they screamed as they were reduced to bug juice. But the most disturbing thing stood right in front of him.

"Liara!" Shepard called out trying to move himself with pain grabbing him from every corner.

"Shepard!" Liara started to run toward him. But she didn't get far. Liara was lifted off her feet and held in the air by an ugly hand. The hand of a banshee. Shepard was entirely horrified. He limped as fast as he could but he collapsed to his hands and knees after the second step. He shot his head up immediately to see the unthinkable. The banshee brought Liara closer to her face and hissed as she stroked her claw across Liara face. Then...

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOAUGG," Shepard screamed hard until his body contracted from the pain. He couldn't stand it. It was all too much. He felt helpless, totally helpless. He couldn't save her. He couldn't save anyone.

"Wake up," he heard a voice suddenly. Shepard looked up again to find someone standing in front of him.

"I embody the collective intelligence of all Reapers, they are my solution. The created will always rebel against their creators. But we have found a way to stop that from happening, a way to restore order. We harvest advanced civilizations leaving the younger ones alone. We helped them ascend so they could make way for new life, storing the old life in Reaper form. Without us to stop it, synthetics would destroy all organics."

The pain that lingered in Shepard gave way to anger. Anger to the very things that took away so much from him and the people of the galaxy. They needed to die, all of them. When Shepard looked down at ground again and he saw a Cerinfix pistol by his hand. He grabbed it and with all the strength he had, he forced himself to his feet. He brought up the pistol but when he aimed it at the catalyst, he was stunned to see two figures standing between him and it.

"Jeff was the one who allowed me to think for myself. But only now do I feel alive. That is your influence."

"Shepard, Commander. Does this unit have a soul?"

Shepard's hand trembled at the sight of the two figures that stood in his way. And it was then that Shepard looked to see hundred's of geth surrounding him with their optic lens looking right at him.

"Does this unit have a soul?"

But the most absurd thing came next.

"When humanity first discovered the Mass Relays, when we learned there was more to the Galaxy than we imagined, there were some who believed the Relays should be destroyed. They were scared of what we would find. Terrified of what we would let in. But look at what humanity has achieved. Since that discovery humanity has advanced more than the past 10,000 years combined. And the Reapers will do the same for us again a thousand fold. But only if we harness their ability to control."

The Illusive man, with his deranged face and insane look in his eyes, walked up to Shepard's side and held out his hand to him.

"Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both the Weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny."

Saren did the same thing and stood at Shepard's other side with his hand held out at him.

Shepard's hand trembled. The pressure built up in him. The images of the Reapers phased through his mind and the torment stung all corners of his body. Laying around him were the bodies of the casualties of the conflict with the Reapers. Human, Turian, Asari, Salerian, and every other species. Amongst the dead were Ashley Williams, Thane Kreios, Mordin Soulus and the endless amounts of soldiers who died alongside him.

The torment grew larger and larger until it felt like it should have dragged Shepard to the ground. But that torment only turned into anger. Anger that burned so hard in his body that it numbed the pain. The Reapers controlled the galaxy and dictated who lived and who died for millions of years. They thought what they did was for the best for all life even when life needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. For millions of years it continued again and again.

"No," Shepard said. The anger surged through his body and it reached out to his finger that rested on the trigger. It moved back and the trigger clicked.

The first round hit EDI square in the chest leaving a small hole that surged with an electrical discharge. Her body went limp and fell to ground. Shepard squeezed again. The round hit Legion in the chest, opposite of the hole already there. Legion's lens went dark and his platform did the same as EDI's. Before Shepard squeezed of the next shot, the Geth around him all fell to the ground as Legion did. But Shepard paid little heed to them as he aimed his gun and fired again. The round hit the Catalyst and a crack had suddenly emerged across it's appearance like a statue had when it was struck. Shepard fired another round and the crack expanded. The next one hit and the crack expanded to nearly all reaches of its body. One more round would do it. Shepard stared at the child before he sent the final round at it. Then Shepard was suddenly struck by a force that launched him backwards and sent his vision into a flash of total white.

* * *

Shepard's eyes shot open. He found himself in his body without any pain tugging at any parts of his body. He saw blurry images through is eyes but the blur was due to the tears that had built up in them. When he blinked them out of his eyes, he saw he was sitting in his bed. He wore his boxers and a white t-shirt that was drenched with sweat.

He remembered he was getting some shut eye before he arrived at Tuchunka after they retrieved the medical supplies they needed from the convoy. But unfortunately the lingering thoughts of guilt and regret came back to him. He always had nightmares ever since his stand on Elysium, but after the vision from the beacon, he was surprised when he actually go any form of good night's sleep. And it all got worse after the Collector base. Seeing the helpless colonists screaming as their bodies melted into bug juice to feed the Reaper that was being made at the base's center. And all of the nightmares after he left Earth behind had nearly done him in. Now that it was over and he knew that whoever was left was safe, the nightmares were not as they were before. But like many war torn soldiers, the stress disorder and the guilt always seeped in and kept him from being at peace.

After a few minutes sitting on the edge of the bed with his face in his hands, Shepard stood up and walked up to his desk. He reached out to one of the drawer. Inside, he grabbed a single item and closed the drawer. He took it and sat down on his couch. He looked at the small box in his hand. He opened it to revile something that reminded him all too much about what he did to the galaxy.

* * *

_Uuuhhh... are we getting married?_

_No. There is a jeweler on the Citadel who produces these. They're made from metals from each Council homeworld. Each metal compounds with the last, making the ring stronger. He calls them victory rings. Due to material shortages, only a few exist._

_Rare is nice. Unique is better._

_Are you... valuing me?_

_It's the thought that counts, and you had a good one._

_I have hear that expression. That's why I recorded a resonance map of my quantum bit arrays when I had the idea. If you read my extensive log files and extrapolate from my nitrogen-vacancy centers, you can visualize the thought precisely._

_That's a long way for a joke, EDI._

_Did I have you for a few seconds there?_

_Not even close. Who's next?_

* * *

Shepard placed the ring on the coffee table and looked down at it for several minutes.

She was unique. No other AI was like her. And she was gone because he made a choice that he knew would kill her. And with her, the entire race of synthetics who were misunderstood and were desperate to survive. And just as they were freed and the galaxy was just beginning to accept them, he made the choice to kill them.

Why did he do it? Did he think that the Catalyst was bluffing about the repercussions of setting the Crucible to destroy the Reapers? Or was is because he felt so angry at the machines that caused him and the galaxy so much pain that he wanted to have them die no matter the cost?

The door opened and Shepard looked up to see someone walk in. It was Liara. She must have caught a break in her work. Shepard closed the ring case before he stood up.

"Shepard," Liara said realizing he was in his sleeping outfit. "I'm sorry, did I disturb you?"

"No," Shepard said. "In fact having you here's the best thing I need now." After seeing her in his dream along with all the terrible things, her presence was all he needed to numb the pain if only for just a moment.

It was Liara's cue to come over and give him a warm hug. They sat back down onto the couch and held each other for a while longer.

"What was it this time?" Liara asked after several moments had past. She always seemed to know what it was that troubled him. Shepard took a deep breath.

"I saw the war happening. People screaming and dying. I was injured and I couldn't save them. And I saw you running toward me and I tried to get to you. But..."

Shepard peeled off and looked the other way to indicate what happened next. Liara acted quickly and gently turned his head to have his eyes look into his. She then pulled Shepard's head toward her and placed it under her neck. Shepard reacted by putting his arm around her and pulled her to him to further smother his face into her breast. When Shepard felt reassured that Liara was still here with him, he pulled back and continued.

"Then I saw the catalyst standing in front of me and there was a gun by my hand on the ground. I took it and stood up but..." The image came back to him with the guilt accompanying it. "EDI and Legion were standing between me and the catalyst. And a hundred geth were standing around looking at me."

"Oh Shepard," Liara said so sympathetically and nestled her face into the side of his neck. Having her next to him and feeling her warm skin against his own made Shepard calm and relaxed. It didn't ease all the pain but it quelled it enough for him to continue with a little more confidence.

"Then the Illusive man and Saren came up to give me the alternatives to stopping the Reapers."

Liara pulled her head back to look into Shepard's eyes. "What did you do?"

Shepard gave her a look that meant he went through what he already went through on the Citadel. He looked away again when he continued.

"EDI fell first. The rest of the geth fell with Legion. Then I put the last rounds into the Catalyst."

Shepard took a deep breath and sighed heavily. It was just so hard coping with the guilt. 300,000 Baterians was bad enough but an entire species was now extinct. He himself wondered how he was able to cope with it all. An average person could have a hard time losing a single friend when they were nearly within arm's reach of being saved. But in the Alliance, you were trained to accept losses of both friends and civilians because it was going to happen under your watch. But for him, after being stone hard in seeing the amount of dead civilians come across him and the amount of lives that had to die by his doing, whether intended or unintended, it took its toll on him.

"It was a difficult decision Shepard," Liara said in a calming voice. "But you shouldn't let the fact that you're still alive let you believe you should be dead." The way she said it made it feel that she wasn't speaking for the sake of herself seeing him alive but for him. Shepard pondered the issue while they sat in silence together. He stared at his aquarium seeing all his fish swimming around in it. The quietness of the cabin allowed Shepard to reach into the deep parts of his feelings and one of the things that lingered inside him surfaced.

"Liara?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

"I need to tell you something," Shepard looked into her eyes. "But I need you to hear what I have to say."

"Of course Shepard. Why wouldn't I listen to you?"

Liara was right. Why would he think she wouldn't she listen to him. Probably because what he was going to say might disturb her. Shepard gently broke Liara's embrace on the couch and he stood up and walked in front of the coffee table. He took a deep breath and told her.

"When I was on the Citadel, I was standing at the fork in the road. Each one lead to the ways I could have activated the Crucible. Before I went through with what I did..." Shepard paused before he made his confession to her. "I took a step toward the control option."

The silence followed and set the tension between the two of them. Admitting the truth was hard because Shepard knew that Liara would become conflicted about what he had to say.

"What made you almost do it?" Liara said in a rather calm tone.

"Because of my duty as a soldier of the Alliance," Shepard said with as much calmness as Liara showed. Liara didn't interrupt to object which meant she was truly open to him. "I'm supposed to give myself for the greater good of all. If I needed to die to save the lives of just two people, I'd be expected to do it. Right there on the Citadel, I thought I was a dead man either way. And if I had to die, I would do it in a way that would save the most lives."

"And controlling the Reapers would allow that to happen?" Liara asked him. The tension she displayed was not noticeable in her tone but Shepard knew she was conflicted for just knowing here as a person. Shepard only nodded to answer her question.

"Then what would you have done if you controlled them? Would you have done what the Illusive man would have wanted?"

"No," Shepard said calmly. "I would have only used them to fix what they destroyed."

"And when the reconstruction would be finished?"

"I guess I would have either get them to destroy themselves once they were finish or I'd use them to protect everyone from danger. Keep mercenaries and slavers from attacking anymore worlds. Prevent them from more killing innocent people. And I'd maybe help with exploration of uncharted worlds. But I wouldn't dominate any species' future. I'd let them choose their future as long as it didn't involve harming another species."

Hearing what him said made Shepard think. After all the torment that the Reapers had done to everyone, he seemed to be saying this as a civilian who never experienced war face to face. He sounded optimistic about the whole thing, which Shepard himself didn't know was a good or bad thing.

"Would you use indoctrination to achieve the goals that the large ones couldn't do by themselves?"

Shepard was about to speak but he stopped himself. That was one of the things he didn't consider. If he was going to be the controller of the Reapers, he also would have the ability to indoctrinate people and have them serve his purposes in exchange for their free will. But Shepard wouldn't ever allow that. But could he even control who would become indoctrinated? That question was lost when Liara stepped in again.

"May I ask you a question Shepard?" Liara stood up and started to slowly step toward him. "When you were on the Citadel at that moment, did you think of me? Not as your bond mate, but as the Shadow Broker?"

Shepard knew where the conversation was going when Liara asked him. But Shepard didn't answer the question and stayed silent.

"When I'm the Shadow Broker, I do what I can as a person. I read the texts of information coming to me and I use my hands on a computer to sort them into their appropriate files and choose which ones to give to who in a part of the galaxy. I know how to do that as person. But do you know how to control a reaper Shepard?"

All Shepard could do was look down and shake his head.

"And even if you did, it's not like being the shadow broker. I know I have a great amount of power and I don't have cap to it. What keeps me from doing what the previous broker did is you and the rest of our friends. I know that. But the thing is Shepard, even as an Asari, I still have an expiration date. In 900 years, I will pass on and someone else will take my place or the Shadow Broker may cease to be after that. But if you took the Catalyst's place, you'd exist for perhaps an eternity."

Liara stopped and looked down to catch her breath.

"And what's more, what if some time after years, what if you become corrupted and you start to do what the Reapers had always done? That's what essentially happened after Leviathan created the Catalyst. The Reapers and the cycles were created. Would we be able to stop you then?"

Shepard stayed silent contemplating what she said. She was right. There were so many risks that could have happen if Shepard went through with controlling the Reapers. It made Shepard feel ashamed of himself just like he felt when he took a step toward that option on the citadel. He remained silent which told Liara that he felt ashamed. The tension in her eyes started to fade away.

"I'm sorry Shepard." she took a breath. "I just..."

"I understand Liara," Shepard calmly said and brought his hands to her shoulders. "And I'm sorry too. It's just... It's just something that I'm going to have to deal with. I don't want this to interfere with us, I really don't. It's just that I'm only human. And humans have their limits and scares like other people do."

"I believe you that you're doing you best, Shepard," Liara said. "I just don't want you to believe that risking your humanity to save EDI and the Geth was the right thing. I wouldn't have allowed that to happen. Not for my sake but for yours."

Was that an acceptable trade off? Millions of lives lost to keep his sanity? Soldiers sacrificed so much to protect the innocent. Why should their sanity be above other's lives?

Liara brought her hand up to his cheek. "Will you be alright Shepard?"

Shepard looked deep into her eyes. The worries Shepard thought about were gone. All he could think about was the person in front of him.

"I've had to make several hard choices as a soldier, and the guilt never fades away. But I believe that if I have another purpose in my life, it can fill that gap in my soul."

It was then that Shepard caught the feelings he had for her holding her in his arms. The same was for Liara. They moved closer to each other, and their lips met. His glided across hers and the his desire grew. When he felt lost, he wanted to come to her and she did the same with him. This was a time he felt lost and she gave him a reminder of the new direction he was taking.

But unfortunately, Liara's Omni-tool beeped. She looked over at the back of her palm to see that something had just come up that needed her help with. Liara gave a regrettable "I'm sorry," look at Shepard. But Shepard patted her on the waist and nodded to say that she needed to do what she needed to do. Liara reluctantly walked out of Shepard's embrace and proceeded to the door. Shepard was left alone again. But he knew that more than one person was still here for him. All of his crew were loyal to him and they always supported what he had done. And they would look out for him too.

* * *

**Author's note: **Next chapter on the way. As always, please leave a review. Tell me what you like and/or think I should work on. The minor details are what give me motivation to make it all better so if you like this story, specifics will make it better.

See you next week. :)

**Update:** Chapter's been updated.


	13. Chapter 13

_Commander Shepard, we know you've reached Tuchunka. And, by now, I imagine, Mordin Solus has proposed using the Shroud._

_Are you Spying on us?_

_Hardly. The shoud is the only viable course of action open to you. Commander, you can't allow your misguided sympathy for the Krogan cloud your judgment. Do you honestly believe curing the genophage will end in lasting peace?_

_We have to give the Krogan that chance. You can't condemn an entire race to extinction based on what might happen._

_What will happen is the Krogan will reproduce out of control. We uplifted them specificly for their violent nature, not their diplomatic skills. Another war is inevitable._

_What do you want Dalatrass?_

_Years ago, our operatives sabotaged the shroud facility to ensure what you're planning couldn't be done. Mordin will likely detect this malfunction and repair it. But if you ensure htat he doesn't, then the cure's viability will be altered just enough so that it fails. No one will notice the change._

_You mean trick the Krogan?_

_They need not be any the wiser. Let Urdnot Wrex believe you fulfilled your promise._

_Mordin would never stand for that._

_How you deal with him is up to you commander. We can provide you with our very best scientists to build the crucible... and the full support of our fleets._

_If I sabotage the cure._

_Think about it commander. The choice is yours._

* * *

The view of Tuchunka was what Shepard had remembered it the last time he saw it. The post nuclear wastelands gave the planet a grey blanket over its red surface. When the Krogan discovered the power of the atom, roughly 1900 BCE on the human calendar, they immediately deployed their new weapons on each other, like humanity nearly did to itself during the cold war in the 20th century. When the nuclear winter was over, the Salerians came to uplift them to have them fight the Rachni off. When it was over, the Krogan became unstable with the Turians as they expanded across the stars. The Krogan Rebellions lasted for several hundred years. Then the Genophage was developed by the Salerians and deployed by the Turians to keep the Krogan from ever becoming a threat to anyone again. Now, after centuries of endless stillborns, there was hope for them. The cure for their sterilization was created and their children would now survive birth. But unlike before, the new Krogan society Wrex and Bakkara were creating would change the future for the Krogan people. Together they would learn the values of peace and co-existence among other the species. And a large part of that was thanks to Shepard and his iconic image the galaxy saw him as.

"SSV Normandy," the traffic controller on the com spoke. "We have you on sensors and are clear to proceed to the nearest star port."

"Acknowledged," Joker said. "Normandy on approach vector."

The Normandy proceed through Tuckukka's atmosphere. The dust was thick like it was the last time the Normandy was here, but then it lifted as the Normandy emerged through the clouds. From where Shepard sat, he could see many facilities around the wastelands and ruins. The newly erected star port was in sight and the Normandy lowered down into the docking bay. The clamps came down onto the hull and the Normandy was secure. Shepard walked down to the cargo bay along with some of the crew behind him. The bay was crowded with several extra creates of medical supplies. Because the war was over, several of the weapons supplies were cleared to make room for they supplies the Normandy would be delivering. The cargo door popped open and the ramp lowered down to landing deck. The planet's dusty atmosphere flooded into the ship and Shepard felt it enter through his nose. But the sun shown directly into his eyes, clear from the dust clouds surrounding them. When Shepard's eyes adjusted, he saw several Krogan and Turians across the platform. Shepard proceeded down the ramp and saw a Krogan approach him.

"SHEPARD!" Grunt ran up to him and the next thing Shepard knew was he was lifted off the ground in a big Krogan hug.

"Thanks for being a little gentle Grunt," Shepard said out of breath after he was put down.

"Hahaha," Wrex chuckled as he stood before him. "Glad to see you're out and about Shepard. I knew that hospital wouldn't hold you for too long."

"Well I couldn't let Liara stay in there for too long," Shepard said getting a slight chuckle from Liara beside him. "But anyway, I've picked up a number of the supplies you've requested. You're people can pick them up whenever you're ready."

"Gladly appreciate it, Shepard," Wrex looked behind him at the Krogan standing on the deck and signaled them to start unloading the Normandy. Grunt went along with them up the ramp of the Normandy.

"Come along with me Shepard," Wrex said. "You've got things to see and people to meet."

Shepard followed Wrex up to the access way leading to a garage were several Krogan Tomkahs transport were parked. Shepard, Liara and Garrus proceed with Wrex to his rover while the others, Javik, Kaidan, Tali and James, went into the next one over. They took their seats and the rovers moved out.

"So how are things going here, Wrex?" Shepard asked him once the rovers moved along.

"Better than any of us had hoped," Wrex said. "We're making serious progress so far building up the new cities thanks to the Turian engineers who were sent to help out."

"Well I'm glad they've decided to help," Garrus said. "After everything you're boys have done for Palavin, the engineer corps is the least we can do for you."

"Much appreciated, Vakerian," Wrex smiled. "Though I would have wanted to have us rebuild our home ourselves, Shepard taught me to not turn away help when it's given."

Shepard smiled when he remembered his conversation he had with Navigator Presley on the SR-1 about his concern about non-humans on the ship. He was concerned about humanity's reputation of holding their own without help from other races but Shepard said that for the time being, allies make humanity stronger and they needed the non-humans to stop Saren. It felt good knowing that some of that rubbed off on Wrex.

"But don't think the Krogan are sitting on their asses. You should know by now what we've done with your warlord problem on Earth."

"We appreciate the help, Wrex," Shepard said. "And the rest of the Galaxy is surely thankful for the protection you've given them."

"Well I'd figure we'd do what we do best for the effort. It'll keep our brothers busy and happy to get a fight going even though the enemies were going up against are just pussy Pyjacks who don't put up a challenge."

"Just as long as you're protecting the right people Wrex," Shepard said. "I've read a report that they've put the Krogan up as a candidate for a seat on the new council in the future. What do you think of that?"

"I was a little disappointed that they didn't just give us seat already for saving the Turians' asses and for winning the battle for Earth. But as much as I hate that fact, I'll let it pass because we're better than we ever were. It's the start of a golden age for the Krogen. One that'll be better than Tuckukka before it became the rock it was."

"Well I'm happy for you and your people Wrex. I wish you the best of luck," Shepard said.

"So where are we heading to?" Liara asked.

"The spot where that golden age is beginning," Wrex said proudly.

The rovers stopped and Shepard followed Wrex out of the vehicle. Shepard looked to see the entrance of an ancient ruin which he recognized was the one that he and his team ran through to get to the Shroud. Shepard walked up the steps and through the cavern to the opening which showed an incredible sight. The temple grounds was filled by Krogan workers and construction materials and scaffoldings near the crumbled walls. In the distance, several cranes were erected next to the temple.

The sight of it made Shepard feel the sense of true change that was happening. The Krogan were digging back into the past to recover what they lost. For so long they've been stuck in the present with their devastated world and the genophage that gave them little hope for a future or any purpose to look into the past. But now, with the genophage cured and the feuds between the Krogan and Turians settled, they had a reason to learn about their history and pursue something more meaningful.

"Wow," Shepard said."You've been busy, Wrex."

"For so long, the Krogan have had no past to look back on," Wrex said. "All we were focused on was our survival, never taking time to look into the past to learn what really matters. That's why I left to be a gun for hire when my father betrayed me." He turned to look at Shepard beside him. "But now, when we dig up our past, we'll know how things were and we can learn the mistakes we've made and move forward with something better."

"That's what I hoped for, Wrex," Shepard gave a pat on Wrex's armored hump. "I knew the Dalatrass was wrong about you and your people. From what I saw in you and Bakkara, there was something that could actually lead your people to change for the better."

"To be honest Shepard," Wrex said. "That change wouldn't have happened if you hadn't brought me along on your adventure to find Saren. You've done so much to prove humans are a worthy species to the rest of the Galaxy. I guess your optimism and attitude rubbed off on me. In fact I probably wouldn't have stopped myself on Vermir if you hadn't shown me what you did. And all that's what made me go out to gather the clans for this."

Shepard felt flattered yet again. Always receiving all the praise from his friends and the people who looked up to him.

"All of that stuff you said that rubbed off on you rubbed off on all of us," Garrus said.

"Indeed it has," Liara came up to him and put her arm around his chest. Wrex couldn't help but hum with a rather cheery tune.

"I've told you about how me and my people we're going to have fun making babies, didn't I? Well it looks like the Krogan won't be the only ones."

The group chuckled at Wrex's remark and at Shepard's expense. But Liara planted a kiss on his cheek that made him forget about his embarrassment.

"But anyway, there's someone who wants to see you, Shepard. The rest of you are free to walk around and admire the glory of the new Krogan empire."

Shepard looked back at the group and they nodded at him and dispersed their ways. Wrex walked across the ruins with Shepard and Liara behind him. They walked past several of the construction structures until they proceeded down a corridor down a flight of steps. It eventually lead to another opening and the sun emerged again. The sight impacted Shepard even more than the one before.

It was a vast courtyard which was mixed with the colors of green and brown. Vegetation was growing on the ground and a stream of water was going through it. All around it, several Krogan were standing. But then Shepard looked to see slimmer figures around. When he looked closer, he recognized that they were Salerians.

"Are those Salerians here to help?"

"They're with those who are opposing that bitch who tried to get you to betray me," Wrex said. "They're under the Salerian fleets who decided to do something when Cerberus woke the Citadel up to the war. The Turians are helping with the cities while these egg heads are working to bring life back to the land."

"And the Krogan okay with this?" Shepard asked.

"I told them if they wanted a home that didn't make them cough radioactive dust every day, they'd let these pyjacks do their work. They've actually repaired what's left of the shroud to clean the atmosphere. And they're working to make plants grow again and make the water clean for all of us."

The Shroud. The place where it ended and began. The end of the dark age for the Krogan and the beginning of the new future. And it was made possible by the brilliant mind and the sacrifice of one man. Mordin Solus. And just as he thought of him, Shepard looked to see something standing in the middle of the courtyard. It was a statue. But it wasn't the statue of Shepard that Wrex told him about when he was recovering. It was a statue of the brilliant Salerian who saved the Krogen's future.

"Ah. So you see it," Wrex took notice. "Don't worry, yours is somewhere else. But we've got him one too. The planet has three heroes total now."

"Shepard, Mordin and you Wrex?" Liara said.

"That's right," Wrex smiled. "But mine will have to wait until we've finished our work here."

Wrex proceeded down to the courtyard with the duo behind him. He lead them to the statue where a Krogan female was standing. When they approached, she turned her head and turned her body around. Before Shepard recognized who she was, he noticed she was holding something in her hand. Inside of a wrapping of cloth was a baby. A baby Krogan.

"It is good to see you standing strong again, Shepard," Bakarra said to him. Shepard's eyes moved from the little Krogan to her.

"Great to see you too," Shepard said. It wasn't long before he looked back at the newly born Krogan nestled in Bakkara's arms. The little Krogan looked right at him with a look that could only mean one thing. It was the look of hope of the Krogan people. Wrex came up to Bakkara's side and Shepard looked up at him. The look he gave was one that a new father made in front of his friends seeing his child for the first time.

"We cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us," Bakkara looked down at the little one in her arms. "This little one is only one of the greatest miracles the Krogan have had for thousands of years."

"If there's someone to thank for that miracle," Shepard looked up at the statue. "It's that man right there him."

"Both of you played your part and in the end we are now on a path to a greater future none of us would have ever dreamed of."

"Just did what was expected of me," Shepard said.

"It wasn't something one simply couldn't be expected to do," Bakkara said. "You put faith into the both of us to have our people come to help you and to have a better future regardless of what the outside thought."

She was obviously referring the Dalatrass who tried to bribe to stop Mordin from curing the Genophage with the full Salerian support. He couldn't do that. Not with his old friend Wrex and a person like Bakkara aiming to take the helm for the Krogan people. And now with Recording of his conversation with the Dalatrass leaked by the trusty information broker standing beside him, the Salerian union was going to have a lot to answer for.

"Well I hate to leave all of you but I've got some things to attend to," Wrex said. "I'll see you soon."

"So long Wrex," Shepard said and Wrex was on his way. When Wrex had gone, Shepard looked to see another Krogan female carrying her own baby with her but there was no father beside her. It suddenly reminded Shepard of something and it made him chuckle.

"What is it that amuses you Shepard?" Bakkara asked.

"It's something Wrex told me after he helped me with my problem I had on the Citadel," Shepard said.

"What did he say?"

"He told me that you've been encouraging him to have his way with the ladies."

Bakkara's eyes widened showing amusement from the reminder. But it was Liara who spoke up.

"You've really encouraged him to do that?" she asked the Krogan.

"The sisters have suffered enough so it was my belief that they could do as they pleased to have their children in any way they wanted."

"Well aren't you concerned about Wrex being faithful to you in the future?"

"In this time, 'adultery' is something we won't be concerned with. In the future, once we have grown and the male have matured, it will be then we can worry about faithful partners. For now, it's time we celebrate the pleasures of fertility."

"Well from what Wrex told me, he wasn't quite up to it anymore. He says he's been in almost every position those few days and he didn't remember the last time he slept."

"I guess this shows that the determination of males can go so far." Liara said.

"I guess it does," Shepard said referring to his own realization.

"Don't worry Shepard, I'll make sure you'll have enough time in between so you can rest," Liara said with a teasing smile and ran a soft finger across his face.

"It'll be unlikely, but I guess I'll let you know if I'm not up to it," Shepard said before looking back at Bakkara with a look that said "Pardon our little personal talk." But Bakkara showed she didn't mind it.

Then Shepard heard his named being called. He looked around to see a salerian coming up to him. It was then that Shepard recognized it was Major Kirrahe.

"Go ahead and meet with him, Shepard," Bakkara said when Shepard looked back at her. "And may your own children grow as strong ours."

"Thank you. I hope to see you again."

Both Shepard and Liara left Bakkara and her child and walked over to Kirrahe.

"I'm glad to see you again Major," Shepard shook his hand.

"As am I to see you," Kirrahe said with a smile. "However it's general now."

"Wow," Shepard said. "Congratulations, General."

"And to you, Admiral," Kirrahe said. He started to walk across the court yard and Shepard and Liara followed.

"So what have your people been up to?" Shepard asked.

"I'm here with the handful of STG who volunteered to fight before the councilor gave you the support of the Third Fleet under the table. We're here to honor the support the Krogan have given to the galaxy in the fight against the Reapers. But many of us are here to honor you."

"I'm flattered," Shepard said. "So are the scientists here only part of the Third fleet?"

Kirrahe shook his head. "Wiks brought his entire research division to aid the Krogan and the division of the third fleet I'm commanding are running security for them. Although we won't need to worry since we're already protected by the ones we're helping."

"That's very generous of you and Winks to do this," Shepard said. "I've heard about the conflict with the Dalatrass."

"We're at the forefront of it," Kirrahe said. "The STG has always been about deception and secrets to keep a close eye on the enemies of the council and our people. But to have our own leaders deceive us for their own vendettas and cynical reasoning, it's treason to us."

"The Dalatrass and the Union have no authority over the STG or the military anymore," Kirrahe said. "We're officially taking our side in our dispute with the government."

It did feel good to hear that the military was taking a stand against cynical politicians.

"Has the conflict with the Dalatrass and the Union been peaceful so far?" Shepard asked.

"The release of the Recording of the Dalatrass's attempt to have you sabotage the cure have turned many officials against one another. Most of them turned to our side to save themselves which is understandable."

"If things go well and everyone stays peaceful, we'll be able to replace her and her staff with a more open minded leadership hopefully without any bloodshed."

From the looks of it, that wasn't farfetched considering what happened with the council and the Batarians. Drastic changes were happening and the replacement of the leaders of the Union would certainly help with what they've been hindering all the months Shepard was in a comma.

"But none of this would have been possible thanks to you, Admiral," Kirriahe said when he stopped and looked over at Shepard. "Because of everything you've done, all of these changes are happening because they are following your image."

"So am I the face of your campaign against the Dalatrass?" Shepard crossed his arms.

"Every campaign to promote this better future where any person of any specie can look to any other species as a friend is being done in honor of you. You brought this galaxy together and no one will ever forget what you've accomplished. I hope you don't mind that."

It really didn't bother Shepard that people were uniting together to keep the galaxy united and keep the mentality of cooperation and acceptance of every specie for generations to come. But using his image for it? He wasn't sure. Before he went to Illos, the Terra Ferma party tried to get him to support them in the next election. With Terra Ferma's image of isolation and its members consisting highly of Xenophobes and racists, Shepard only saw them as just a small step down from Cerberus. But now with the war over, these new campaigns and parties that supported unification and cooperation diminished Terra Ferma to little more than a small third party screaming into an empty void.

When Shepard thought about it, his image was used to many good ends. His interviews with Diana Allers had boosted moral of many people across the stars because of his image of confidence that they could win if they worked together. Shepard supposed that it wouldn't do much harm if he'd allow several of these campaigns to use him as the driving force. It's sort of like Hackett said. Him being an Admrial could influence a lot of people to go out and support what he beleived in. Considering what Kirriahe and the STG was doing along with the majority of the Salerian Military, it was one of those causes to support.

"Just as long as you keep supporting cooperation with all species," Shepard responded to Kirriahe.

"We will," Kirriahe said. He looked up at the ongoing path where several more Salerian scientists were spread out examining the soil. He then guided Shepard and Liara further along to show them more about what they were doing.

* * *

It had been an eventful day for Shepard. He was revered by all the things he saw. The cities were making major progress and the Krogan people were hard at work alongside the Turians and Salerians. He visited the Shroud to see the STG working hard to keep it operational. It stirred up the bittersweet memories of that moment. How the mother of all Thresher Maws took down the Reaper Destroyer to let him and Mordin to get inside the Shroud to deploy the cure. Once inside, there was bad news. The sabotage the STG performed on it was extensive and Mordin came to the conclusion that it was a one way trip to the top to release the cure properly. Shepard protested, but Mordin insisted saying it was his work and his responsibility. Minutes later, the cure was realized and the very top of the Shroud exploded along with him. He became the doctor who redeemed himself to make it right for the people who deserved a second chance. His statue was a fitting honor for him.

Also at the shroud, Shepard met with Padok Wiks. He was overseeing the operation of the Genophage cure and kept a close eye on the health of the Krogan Females and the Newborns coming into the world. When Shepard asked why Wiks was here to help, Wiks said he was following what Mordin had started with his efforts to cure the Genophage. And as a token of gratitude to Shepard, Wiks promised he'd halt the covert uplifting of the Yaug for Liara's sake.

And like Wrex said, Shepard found the statute the Krogan made for him. Shepard braced himself to see if they would make him look like a total badass riding a thresher maw or stomping down on a Reaper's corpse. But what he saw was actually pretty decent. He was standing on a rock in his iconic N7 armor with a Vindicator rifle in his hand and his other hand pointed out ahead of him. Below him a band of Krogan were charging. It was more or less what Shepard hoped for but less than what he expected. It worked out alright.

And, as if by coincidence, several Armax Arsenal employees set themselves up in the city and were preparing to set up their own arena. And it was then that Shepard learned of Armax's new deals and agreements to set up their sporting events around council space thanks to their success with their Arena on the Citadel before the Reapers occupied it. So it did give Shepard some relief knowing that Grunt could go filter his battle urges without causing real damage or harming anyone on accident.

Everything was going very well for the Krogan people.

After the day past exploring the seeds of a better future for Tuckakka, he found Javik standing on the balcony looking over the temple and the construction yard beyond it. He leaned against the edge next to him.

"So what do you think about the Krogan now?" Shepard asked.

"I've said many things about the primitives in my cycle and I've seen how some mistakes can be unredeemable. I believed that the Krogan would never have been any better than they were in my cycle. After seeing what they did to their own world, I wasn't surprised by it. But now, having seen the foundations of a different society coming to be, there might just be a chance. However, the future will depend on the commitments of the individuals."

It was all in the people of the Galaxy's hands. Just as Shepard thought.

"But there is a chance?"

"More than I would have believed. It was what I hoped to see for my people when the Reapers had left us. But our fall was by our own doing and fate had not been our side. But here, fate had smiled on you and all the others. Everyone is different and that was what made you succeed. And it is that difference that gives these people hope for redemption. This era may turn out to be better than what my people had accomplished."

"Well I'm glad that you're optimistic about things. I appreciate it."

"Optimism is what drove you to prove that the primitives in my cycle could actually overcome the obstacles."

"Another memory for you to bring with you?"

"One of many," Javik said.

Shepard smiled and resumed to take in the view of the temple. The hope he had for the Krogan and for humanity and everyone else seemed to have been vindicated. But only time would tell if it would be followed through. He did know everyone was imperfect and there would be mistakes that would be made. But from what he saw, it was the best time to do try it. A fresh start to reach out to one another and work together with stronger trust. Shepard knew it was possible.

Suddenly, Shepard's Omni-tool beeped and the back of his palm blinked. He activated the Vid screen to see Tali's face on it.

"Shepard!" Tali said anxiously.

"Tali," Shepard said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes. It's - it's just-" Tali stumbled on her words from the anxiousness. "Something's come up, Shepard."

"What is it?"

"I've just received word from Rannoch. The Admirals need us to come as soon as we can. Both of us."

"Why do they need me?"

"I don't know. But I think it's because this is about the geth."

* * *

**Author's Note:** To be continued...

As always, a favorite and/or review goes for miles for me. Please give one or both to keep me making this story the best it can be. Especially with what's coming up next. ;)

**Update:** Chapter updated. Bakaria and Wrex are now officially new parents


	14. Chapter 14

_"What is your opinion about the Geth?"_

_"Well, I believe they were good allies in the war effort. I mean, when they attacked Eden Prime, many of us thought they were evil machines who were only good at killing people. But after seeing Shepard's interview about them, they were just slaves to the Reapers like all the other people who were indoctrinated by them."_

_"When my colony was attacked by the Reapers, I ran to the evacuation zone but I was hit in the leg. The Reapers forces were closing in but several geth soldiers came in and held them off. One of the big ones, a prime I think that's what they're called, stood behind me to protect me and another normal sized one grabbed me and carried me to the evacuation zone. They saved my life and won't forget that."_

_"I do feel pretty bad about the geth dying to be honest. They were misunderstood like many of the other species like the Krogan are. What Shepard said about them made me feel that synthetics can be called people too. I just only wish there was something we could do to bring them back, you know?"_

_"I feel that they were people like all of us. They may be different from humans and Turians, but they could think and do things like organics can. It just doesn't seem fair that they had to die with Reapers. It might have made our future even better if we had them as our friends after it was over."_

* * *

The Normandy dropped out of FTL right above Rannoch. Shepard looked to see the view of the planet that was the same as he remembered when he first arrived to the system. The sun shown in the distance on the edge of the planet's horizon illuminating the planet's surface as it rotated. In the shadows of planet's nightfall, he saw lights of settlements that were taking shape across the landscape. They weren't as bright or as concentrated as the lights of settled worlds like Earth and Palavin because of how young the cities were and how very few quarian there were in the galaxy. But it was still a great view to see. Even better knowing that it the people on the plant finally were given something to cure them of their homesickness. After 300 years, they had a homeworld again.

When Tali told Shepard about the call, he didn't know what to think about the part that it involved the geth. Did it mean some part of the geth survived the blast from the Crucible? If that were the case, could that mean some of the Reapers probably could have survived the blast too? Either way it was something that Shepard needed to look into right away. After he gathered his crew, he went and said his goodbyes to Wrex, Bakkra and Grunt and departed with the Normandy. The trip was long jumping through the newly repaired relays to the edge of the galaxy but they finally arrived within several days.

"SSV Normandy we have you on our scanners," the quarian traffic operator spoke over their com. "Is Admiral Shepard and Admiral Tali'Zora on board?"

"We're both onboard," Tali said standing behind Joker's seat next to where Shepard stood. "We've received the message from the Admirals. We're here to see what they needed from us."

"Admiral Xen is waiting for both of you at one of the former geth server facilities. Recommended you use a shuttle dispatch to reach your destination. In the meantime, you may follow the vector to the nearest star port Normandy."

"Roger that. Will proceed with approach vector," Joker said and looked over at Shepard. "Go ahead and figure out what the deal is, Admiral. We'll meet up with you in a little bit."

Shepard nodded and exited the cockpit with Tali following him. They entered the elevator and rode it down to the hanger where Cortez was already ready to dust off. But before Shepard entered the shuttle after Tali stepped in, Liara came up from behind him. Shepard grinned as she proceeded after him into the shuttle and took their seats. The hanger door opened and Cortez pulled out of the bay with the passengers aboard.

"Do you know what this is about Tali?" he said to her as the shuttle descended through the atmosphere.

"I only know that about a week ago an engineering team discovered a geth device that was buried in the ground near one of our newly formed settlements. They unearthed it and they got to work examining it."

"A geth device?" Shepard asked. "Was it functioning?"

"No. Not when they found it," Tali said. "Many circuits were fried but less than all the electrical devices that were caught in the crucible's blast. That was probably because it was buried in the earth which shielded it from most of the effects of the blast. They said they repaired it easily and its now supposed to be functioning."

"But what's in it?" Liara said. "Is it a functioning geth program?"

"I don't know. Xen might have the answers we're looking for."

Several minutes later, Cortez called out to the passengers. "We're approaching the facility."

The shuttle slowed down and hovered as the doors opened. The air of Rannoch was dry, but unlike Tuchunka, there was no heavy concentration of dust tainting the air. Shepard walked over to the opened door and looked down at the cliff side while Cortez descended. He saw the platform that was built into the cliff and he recognized it was the same one that lead to the Geth fighter server that he and Legion erased. Standing on the platform waiting for him were several quarians. They were still wearing their suits with the face plates on. It was understandable even though the atmosphere was where their biology was shaped from. When the shuttle leveled off, Shepard stepped out onto the platform with Tali and Liara behind him. The female quarian who stood in front of the group came forward.

"Welcome back Tali'Zorra," Admiral Xen greeted her. "And we welcome you back, Admiral Shepard. Under different circumstances, we would have prepared a more formal welcome for you."

"It wouldn't have been necessary, but thank you," Shepard said. "How are your people doing?"

"We've made serious developments with our settlements and our services to the galactic reconstruction have given us a great amount of aid and supplies to help us settle in better. However our progress was slowed down ever since the crucible fired and many of our tools malfunctioned and..." Xen paused and looked down. It was Shepard's cue braced himself. "The geth went offline."

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck when the shame came back to him. But he shrugged it off and put his hand back at his side.

"Tali said you found something a week ago," he said. "A geth device."

"It's more complicated that just the device," Xen said. "If you follow me, you'll understand what it all means and why we wanted you to come here."

Xen turned around and the trio followed her and the other quarians accompanying them. They followed the walkway into the mountainside. When the doors to the facility opened, Shepard saw several quarians spread out over the walk ways. Portable CPUs and welding tools were laid out everywhere and the quarians were working extensively at the severs and the terminals all around.

"You've been working on this place for a while?" Shepard asked as he continued to follow Xen through the facility.

"After the Crucible's blast reached Rannoch, Admiral Korris ordered our engineers to see what was left of the Geth. For the first several months, we've been unsuccessful in finding any trace of any sentient Geth that survived here on Rannoch or any of the salvaged materials the flotilla brought back from Sol when the relay network reached Rannoch again. Their weaponry and some of their technology were easily fixed but no geth were functioning. So several weeks ago, Korris asked me to start a project to use the small amounts of fragmented data we managed to recover from geth servers to try to reconstruct the Geth programs that were erased."

Shepard was surprised to hear what Xen said. The quarians were attempting to recreate the Geth from scratch from what was left. Considering what happened the first time their ancestors created the geth and the geth revolted in self defense.

"Weren't many of the quarians wary about you doing this?" He asked Xen.

Xen looked back. "After what you've done for the Flotilla about opening our eyes to how the Geth truly were, mostly everyone followed Korris's statements that we needed to repay them for the contributions they had given us. And the way for that to happen is to give them a chance to live again. I and the other geth experts have used what we learned from the geth to attempt to recreate them. So far we've made small progress."

"Creating a single A.I. can take weeks or months," Liara said. "Several thousand AIs would probably take years to create."

"We were wrong about the geth when our ancestors created them and attempted to exterminate them. That mistake caused them to revolt and forced us off our home. After they converted several of their records of their revolt to us, many of us, including me, felt we were the ones who deserved to be exiled. So we believed that the way to redeem ourselves was to recreate them in any way we could even if they wouldn't be the exactly the same as they were before. It will take time but in the end it would benefit the quarian people."

Shepard did feel a sense of accomplishment hearing her say that. It was like the interviews he saw on the extranet after his recovery. Several people said the geth were misunderstood and some even said they forgave them for the damage they've done when they were pawns of the Reapers.

"Wouldn't the council be concerned about you doing this?" Shepard asked. "I know the political machine's in shambles but there are still the laws about creating AIs."

"That law's been talked about to death while you were unconscious," Liara said. "Because of the geth's help, there's been talk about overturning it and allowing research under acceptable circumstances."

"And I suppose this is an acceptable circumstance?" Shepard said.

"It should be at least," Tali said.

"Regardless of what everyone else thinks, we're going to do what we can to let the geth live again," Xen said.

"That's good to hear," Shepard said. "But I'm concerned about what you'll do with them if you manage to pull this off."

"If you're concerned about my earlier statements about bringing the geth back to serve their masters, you don't need to worry," Xen said immediately. "Several quarians who were on their pilgrimage were caught by slavers. Those who managed to escape and return to the flotilla told us about the horrors of their time as slaves. We're better than the Batarians. Indentured servitude will never happen on our world, not even to the geth"

Hearing "Indentured Servitude" gave Shepard an unpleasant kick back to the past. On Illium, he saw a quarian who was about to willingly to give herself to perform indentured servitude to pay off her debts. Shepard couldn't allow that. With his intervention, he got her out of slavery by convincing a Synthetic Insights representative to hire the quarian as an employee while creating a good image for the company of buying slaves then freeing them. Now, after seeing what really happened during the geth uprising, or the mourning war as Legion and the rest of the geth referred to it as, Shepard knew that the geth were no more than slaves to the quarians even though the Geth never saw it as such. He felt relieved that if they managed to pull this off, that the new A.I.s they were attempting to create, or recreate, would not be their servants or anyone else's servants. They'd be their own people, just like Legion and the geth had hoped to be.

Xen lead the group up the platform to where Shepard recognized was the server hub where he entered the geth conscious with Legion. He saw several inoperable geth platforms laying on the floor while several quarian engineers were hard at work mentoring them. Shepard noticed that the platforms were hooked up by cables to several portable CPUs and the server itself. And right in front of the server was what Shepard and Tali were called to Rannoch for.

"Is this the device you found?" Tali crouched down to examine the device. The device was the size of a small crate with an obvious geth design and architecture. The most notable trait was a central glowing light on the front of it that glowed like a geth optic lens did.

"When we unearthed this, a few components were damaged but it was easily fixed. But the amazing thing was that the data that was contained in this is mostly intact even after the crucible's blast reached down into the ground and touched it."

"What kind of data is on it?" Shepard asked.

"We don't know. The data's encrypted heavily. But after examining its design and structure for several days, we've made conclusions that this device's function is essentially that of a Greybox."

A Greybox? Like the device Shepard helped Kasumi retrieve after she joined his crew? A greybox's function was to store the memories of cretin user and could only be accessed by that user or any other user that possessed the correct encryption key. In Kasumi's case, the key was genetic and her key allowed her to access it and relive the memories of her partner in crime and access the information on it that was sensitive to the Alliance. But why was this particular device buried beneath the surface of Rannoch's soil?

"A memory storage device for the geth," Shepard said looking down at the device. "So does that mean that the memories that are stored onto that thing are only accessible by a geth?"

"We assume that might be the case," Xen said. "We haven't been able to find a way to access the information. We brought it here and connected it to the server. After the war with the geth was stopped, this server was repurposed to monitor the development of our settlements. When the crucible's blast came to the planet, the server was wiped clean. We restored the server to working condition and plugged the device in once we repaired it. But not all of the data was blocked off when we examined it. There was one piece of data we could access."

"What was it?" Tali stood up to Xen's level.

"Just a single sentence. A name of someone."

"Shepard's name?" Tali asked.

"No," Xen turned around to the pods that were sitting behind the server. Shepard looked over at the pod brought up to the walkway. What he saw widened his eyes. Inside the pod was a human man.

"Kelia!" Tali was shocked for a second. "Is that...?"

"It's him," Shepard said walking up to the pod.

Inside was none other than David Archer.

"Do you know this man, Shepard?" Xen asked.

"I saved him from an experiment Cerberus was performing with the geth over a year ago. They were trying to find a way to use him to control the geth with his autistic mind. I rescued him and sent him to Grissom Academy. The last time I met him was when I helped evacuate the academy when Cerberus tried to abduct the students."

He looked back up at David. Seeing him in a rather peaceful state didn't remind him immediately about the horrific sight of David in the AI core room. Suspended in the middle of the room with tubes coming out of his mouth and cables preceded through his arms holding them up like he was on the cross that Jesus was crucified on while his eyes were propped open with his tears pouring down his face.

"We contacted mister Archer once we were able to retrieve his name from the device," Xen said. "He told us he knew what needed to happen and he came to the Rannoch as soon as he could. When he arrived, he got straight to work on this server. Even though there are no functional geth, he claimed to have established a link to what's left of the consensus."

"The consensus is still functioning without the geth?" Shepard asked.

"We assumed that everything in the consensus was erased when the crucible was used. But recently with David Archer's intervention the consensus is actually reported to be functioning inside this server."

"If it's functioning, wouldn't that mean that some geth are alive?"

"We've been monitoring the readings but it doesn't match that of a functional geth program. Something is happening inside the server, but it's not a functioning geth. We assume the activity is what David Archer is doing inside the server now."

"How long has he been in there?" Shepard said

"He's been in there for over a week," Xen said. "But in the recent days, he communicated two things to us. He told us to bring repaired geth platforms here and hook them up to the server and the other was to bring you here."

For a moment, Shepard was stunned. The geth greybox device that told the quarians to find David. And David getting right to work on the server and hooking himself into the consensus. The pieces were falling together and Shepard started to feel nervous but excited too. All this made him think about what it all meant and he had a gut feeling about where he fit in all of this.

"Did the message say he needed me to join him in there?" Shepard asked Xen.

"We assumed it did. You were the only other person to have interfaced with geth technology so it seems reasonable that he would have wanted to you join him. But we don't know for sure."

Shepard exhaled and the excitement flowed from his body. Liara was right, this thing was something more than just a coincidence with his dream.

"Can you get another pod ready," he asked.

"Shepard?" Liara grabbed his shoulder softly. "What are you doing?"

"It's okay Liara," Shepard said. He expected Liara to be worried. "I went in there before and came out alive and sane last time."

Liara's face eased the nervousness she had.

"Just be careful," Liara said.

The look in his eyes was like the same look when he made the promise to return from the suicide mission against the collectors. And he kept that promise, so Liara had a feeling that he could keep this promise too. Shepard smiled and gave her a pat on the shoulder before he turned to the vacant pod adjacent to the one occupied by David. The pod door opened and he stepped inside. He turned around to see Liara, Tali, and Xen watch as the pod door lowered down.

"Good luck Shepard," Tali said before the pod sealed shut. Shepard took a deep breath and centered his head. He heard the humming of the pod begin to grow. The humming grew louder as it charged up. Shepard remained still and he closed his eyes just as the holographic interface surged around him distorting what was real. It continued to grow loader and loader and until it ceased.

* * *

Shepard opened his eyes. The pod door opened in front of him to show he was no longer in the world of the familiar. But even the unfamiliar world he visited was even more unfamiliar than the way he remembered it. When he entered the consensus the first time, the world he saw looked generic and very organized with shapes coming together to form steps and walkways. He could feel the amount of information that was flowing around him. It felt like every fragment and shape had life to it.

But now the environment was very different than it was before. The generically shaped platforms and shapes that were once organized where now broken into pieces that were suspended in midair. There was hardly any light around him. The only light that Shepard could see was the glow that outlined the broken fragments that swirled around him. All of it felt... lifeless.

But in the distance, he could see a dim glowing light. Like a sun on the horizon only that it had a rather bluish glow. The illumination made him see most of what was in front of him. There was path of cracked platforms that resembled a stairway. It was like the steps of an ancient ruin with several steps shattered and broken. The only difference was that the broken pieces were floating in midair. Shepard moved his feet forward gaining the feel for the environment again. He took slow steps onto the ascending stairs and Shepard walked across path that lead to the glow in the distance.

As he got closer, he made out what the glow was and the area around it. The glowing object was a large translucent orb. Around it was several pieces of the broken platforms scattered around the consensus. But Shepard saw several broken pieces that were put together to form a ring around the sphere. He climbed the steps up to the platform and right in front of him, standing just before the glowing orb, was a silhouette of a human. Shepard didn't see the person's face but he knew who he was. Before long, the human stopped what he was doing and turned around and looked at Shepard.

"Shepard," David Archer said. "You came. Thank you."

"David?" Shepard asked.

"Yes," David had a rather pleasant smile on his face. "I have been here for a time. I have made great progress."

He took a step to the side to reviled what he was moving his hands over. It was another sphere that shared the same design as the large one.

Shepard stepped closer to David and his "project."

"Progress on what, exactly?"

David looked up at the larger sphere, like an artist admiring his work.

"Before you defeated them, the geth reach out to me. They were in danger. They asked me to help them. I accepted."

David turned back to the smaller sphere and brought his hands up to it. His hand moved the sphere around and the pattern shifted on the surface. And above them, the larger sphere mimicked the same motions as the smaller one.

"I connected to them again. Through the connection, they gave me the pieces to help them. When you had defeated them, I would start putting the pieces together. When the quarians found one of the other pieces, it would be time for me to put them together. I came and I brought the pieces to be put together here. With my pieces and the ones they found, it would be completed. But I realize now that I didn't have all the pieces. Only some are missing."

David stopped moving his hands around the sphere and turned back to Shepard.

"A few that can be retrieved to complete it now."

Even though David still spoke in the absent small bits, Shepard had a fair understanding what he was talking about. But the part about the missing parts made him pause for a moment. If David was missing pieces and he called Shepard here, did that mean...?

"Are you saying I have those pieces?" Shepard asked.

"You were the only other who connected to them. A part of them became a part of you. You helped them. And you want to help them again."

David took a step to the side, signaling that he wanted Shepard to walk up to it.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" Shepard asked.

"Connect yourself to it. The pieces you carry will be put into place and it will be complete."

By "connect," Shepard assumed that David meant to just touch it. After a deep breath, Shepard stepped up to the sphere and looked down at it. Looking down at it made him feel something unusual. After everything that had happened to him and the entire galaxy, he felt a certain acceptance to do things that were unfamiliar to him even if he felt odd about it.

Slowly, he brought his arm and brought his hand closer to the surface of the object. As he did, he felt a vibration building in his hand that reached up to his shoulder. Shepard hesitated for a second. But he continued to move his hand toward the surface. The vibration grew and stretched to his chest. His hand had made contact the sphere.

Suddenly, his eyes were filled with an array of colors that shifted and changed erratically every millisecond. In that instant, he felt as if his entire mind was shifting outside of his head, like he was receiving another vision from the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. Shepard didn't know how long it lasted but when his senses came back, he found himself bent over with one hand on the platform he stood on. He leaned himself up and looked to see the sphere was sitting where it was before. But he saw that it now had a red pattern on its surface.

The pattern of the sphere and the new red color shifted across the surface, faster and faster every second. They did so until Shepard recognized the shape of the sphere. It took the form of the Reaper coded geth program Legion had shown to him and Xen prior to his mission to come to the server to deactivate the geth fighters. When the geth program without the Reaper code was shown by Legion, it looked like a geometric nerve cell with electrical surges emerging from its nucleus. When Legion showed ten programs working in unison, the sphere was sending out surges at a quicker rate representing better intelligence. And when legion showed the Reaper coded geth program, it was so much like an organic nerve cell with the electrical surges flowing through organic neural pathways. And right now, the program hovering in front of him was a Reaper encoded geth program.

After a second, the program hovered above him and floated toward the larger sphere standing in the center. When it reached the outer surface, the program dissolved into multiple fragments. The fragments then flowed down to the center and merged form the nucleus of the larger sphere. Within a second the larger sphere morphed to form a large geth program. But it's design was a little different than the Geth program was. The nucleus didn't emit surges that ran through the neural pathways to the surface.

Shepard looked away for a moment to David standing by his side. The look in his eyes looked like he had seen something so beautiful.

"You did it," David said with a smile.

Before Shepard could speak, he looked above to a small holographic shape emerge from above the geth program. It's shape was unusual but Shepard assumed that it was a cluster of information. The cluster came down to the surface of the program.

When it did it dissolved like the small geth program did before. The fragments merged together and ran down one of the neural pathways to the nucleus. After it passed through it, the data ran down another pathway to the surface. When it emerged, it suddenly formed into another translucent sphere, the same one that Shepard saw turn into the geth program.

As soon as the first program emerged, from all around them, Shepard saw more and more data clusters coming from all directions. All of them went into the central program and dissolved into the pathways and emerged as complete programs. While this was happening, the pieces of platforms that were broken were now moving all around them. Shepard watched as pieces whizzed past both of them and come together to form complete platforms. He saw the darkness was lifted and he saw in the distances that light was returning to the entire region. All the broken pieces were forming back together everywhere. All the while, David's eyes were only focused on the large center sphere. Shepard saw several of the newly formed programs float down and land on the platform ring they stood on. One of them landed right in front of the two men. Immediately the program started to morph itself. It changed into several shapes until it took the form of something Shepard recognized immediately.

A second later, the morphed program reclined from its compartmentalized state and stood up on a pair of legs. Shepard saw the others do the same all around him. The one in front of him turned its single optic lens to him.

"Shepard Commander," it said and all the rest looked his way and said the same. "Shepard Commander."

Before Shepard could say anything, the floor under his feet started to glow. A circle appeared under him and another appeared under David. He looked over at David again who only smiled at him.

"It has begun," he said before Shepard's vision was blurred with white and he no longer felt his body.

* * *

**Author's Note: **SURPRISE, SURPRISE! The rest is in the next chapter which is coming up on Wednesday. As always, please give a review.

And here's a little YouTube tune to go with all the feels I hope I was able to give you.

watch?v=cDgQNZrW8bA

**Update:** The Chapter has been updated to make the details more believable just so you know. I've also updated Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 is up too.


	15. Chapter 15

Shepard's eyes opened. His vision had returned to him revealing the sight of the transparent pod door. After a second, the door began to open up. As it did, he saw Liara and Tali come toward him. Like the previous time, he felt disoriented from the transition between the two realities. But this time, he felt even more disoriented after seeing what he saw. He lifted his head up and leaned his torso forward regaining control of his real body again. He lifted up his leg to step out of the pod but stumbled when his foot caught the bottom of the door. Fortunately Liara and Tali were there to catch him. He looked up to see both of them helping him and nodded telling them that he was okay.

He stood up to see Admiral Xen and several of the Quairan engineers turn their attention to the other pod that David occupied. Shepard, Liara and Tali turned to see David awaken in the pod and surprisingly tread out of the pod with a little more grace than Shepard did.

"Mr. Archer," Xen said when David stood before her. "It's been days since you entered. What happened in there? We tracked enormous spikes in activity in the server. It's still going on now."

David calmly turned his head to Shepard before he turned it back and replied with the same grin he had when Shepard met him in the server. "The missing piece was put into place. With what Shepard had provided, everything is now put together."

Just as Shepard walked over to David's side, David turned his body to the Geth platforms. And as if on cue, it had begun.

The light of the optical lenses of all three platforms started to blink on. When the lights were on, the lenses adjusted themselves, contracting and expanding until it found focus. The optical portion of the head of the platforms twitched and then the entire head of each platform lifted up. The moved until all three lenses stopped and looked over at Shepard and the rest of the group that stoop around him. Some of the engineers started to raise their pistols in response to the movement but Xen and Tali hastily signaled them to stop.

The geth platforms then moved their limbs. Their arms moved down to their side while their legs folded under themselves. It seemed that the platforms were moving slower than what Shepard had seen them do in the past. But never the less, the previously nonfunctional geth platforms were now functional and all three of them were now standing in front of the Shepard, Liara, Tali and all the others.

"By the goddess," Liara said while Tali and Xen followed up with "Kelia!"

Kelia indeed.

All three geth platforms moved their lens to Shepard.

"Shepard Commander," all three of them said in unison. Then they looked over at David and said his name in unison too. "David Archer. Thank you."

David took a step forward before looking back at Shepard with a smile.

"We did it." He said to him.

Before Shepard could speak, Xen spoke first.

"How is-" Xen started but stopped when her awe got the better of her. Shepard didn't blame her because he was in as much awe as everyone else. She looked back between Shepard and David. "How is this possible? What did you do?"

David calmly looked back at the three Geth before looking back at Xen and the others.

"We were the only ones who were connected to them. Pieces of them were given to us when we were connected. When they were freed they were given new pieces. Pieces they feared they would lose. They asked me to help them. I accepted and they gave me the new pieces. With all the pieces, and the ones that were missing, we put them together."

He looked at Shepard to indicate who the other part of 'we' was. While the others were still a little confused about what David was talking about, Shepard had begun to understand. The program Shepard had seen in the consensus changing form into the schematic of a geth program running on the Reaper code that Legion had shown to him and Admiral Ron prior to the assault on the fighter base. Then seeing individual geth separate from the main sphere to form individual geth programs that spoke his name.

"Are you saying you rebuilt these geth based on what you learned when you were connected to their network?" Xen asked.

David only smiled and nodded his head.

"Amazing!" Xen said. "I had no idea that we would be able to have any geth operational for months or even years."

The lead geth who stood in front of the other two platforms then spoke up.

"We are grateful that our reconstruction has caused rejoice for you, creator Xen." It said. "If we may ask, we wish to know the status of the colonization of the homeworld."

But before Xen could say anything, Shepard stepped in.

"Hold on. You're saying you want to help the Quairans after being dead for all this time?"

The geth looked over at Shepard. The way it looked at him was the same way an organic would 'casually' look over at someone.

"You wish to know why we are standing in your presence as functional geth?" it said. It caught on quickly. It was exactly what Shepard wanted to know. Too many missing pieces were still lingering in his head.

"Yes," he said.

"Then I am willing to answer," The geth straitened its posture like a soldier did when he stood at attention. But what got Shepard and everyone else was the word "I". What it meant could only mean a number of things that Shepard was still having a hard time grasping.

"In the meantime," one of the other geth behind the one in front said. "We would like ask the creators if they are able to aid us in our current endeavors so we will be able to continue to aid them in the future."

Xen immediately walked past Shepard to the geth talking to her.

"Absolutely," she said with quite a bit of excitement. "We never expected anything like this to happen but Admiral Koris and the rest of Rannoch will be pleased to know about this."

The two geth followed Xen and walked past Shepard down the corridor with the rest of the engineers following them. That left the single geth platform with Shepard, Liara, Tali and David alone with the server and the geth graybox device sitting by the geth's feet. Shepard was the first to speak.

"I think I have good enough idea about how you're here," Shepard looked over at David. "David said that he connected his mind to the geth consensus after the war with the Quairans was over, right?"

"Correct," the geth said.

"But David," Shepard looked over at him. "I thought I sent you to Grissom Academy to help you forget all those things about Project Overlord."

"I thank you for making it quite," David said. "But they asked me to help them."

"Help with what exactly?" Tali asked.

"They said they were afraid of what might happen to them, what they would lose. I was the only one who could help them. They explained and I accepted to help."

"But that's what confuses me," Shepard said. "All this tells me something."

He took a step forward and looked up at the Geth's lens.

"Did you know something about the Crucible?"

If they did know something, why did they keep it a secret? Or why didn't they do anything about it? Hearing about the geth's return to the Reapers from Legion made this circumstance seem out of place. The geth moved its lens around before it begun its explanation.

"After you aided in our reunion with the creators, we offered our assistance in the conflict against the old machine. Our engineers also aided in the construction of the device known as the Crucible. As we assisted in its construction, we studied the design from the schematics and related it to known Prothaen architecture and technology as well as the technology of the old machines. As we learned more about the Crucible as we help construct it, we grew suspicious of its function."

It was what Shepard had expected. But if they knew about how it could harm or even kill them, why didn't anyone hear about it?

"We reviewed the design of the device several times. The known function was inconclusive with very little understanding of what the outcome would be if it were to be successfully activated. From feedback by scientists who decrypted the schematics and the engineers who led the construction of the device, the overall speculation was that the device would be used to destroy the old machines. When our engineers gave their feedback of current speculations, we reviewed possible outcomes of its activation."

"You predicted what might happen?" Shepard raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. We examined scenario after scenario of probable outcomes after its activation. The scenarios that concluded with the destruction of the old machine mostly included collateral damage that would affect functional technology. When we looked at these scenarios, there were no conclusive factors that would suggest that the old machine would be the only ones who would be destroyed."

Shepard hung his mouth open for a few seconds. "So at that point, you knew that the Crucible would kill you?"

"Yes," the geth answered.

Even though Shepard had seen this explanation coming, it still surprised him.

"But if you knew the Crucible would kill the geth, why didn't you say anything about it? You went to the Reapers to save yourselves when the Quarians attacked so you would have lived. I would have thought you might have done that again."

The geth took a small pause before it begun its reply.

"Under previous circumstances, the geth may have returned to the old machine to save themselves. But unlike previous circumstances, the geth were in a new situation and new factors lead to different possibilities and options to consider."

"Like what exactly?" Tali said.

"Firstly, the old machine code allowed the geth to think at a faster rate as individuals. This allowed us to think in more dimensions and understand more concepts from outside sources. Secondly, our interaction and integration with both the creators and other organics allowed us to think and interpret their interaction on a different level."

By different level, it was obviously referring to a level that wasn't just about processing numbers.

"A personal level?" Liara was the one to ask.

"It can be interpreted as that," the geth was a little slow to reply. "Since our creation, the geth only interacted with the creators for only a short time before the mourning war. Ever since the end of the conflict, interaction with organics was scarce. We only interacted with Geth while we observed organics from a distance. All decisions we have made involved the wellbeing of the geth as the primary motive."

"And that's what caused the heretics to join Saren and Sovereign," Shepard said.

"That was one of the outcomes of geth centered interaction," the geth said. "After you aided in rewriting the heretics, they rejoined the geth to prepare to fight the old machines. But the creator attack provoked the geth to find a new means to survive. That was to join the old machines."

"Then what made the situation different when you predicted the crucible would kill you?" Shepard asked.

"When the creators attacked, we were only affiliated with geth. No other society would accept us other than the old machines. But that changed after we were freed from the old machines and were reunited with the creators. When we aided in the creators' colonization of the homeworld and aided in the conflict against the old machines amongst the other species, we were seen differently than the geth had before."

Shepard was starting to see a parallel growing. He lived as an orphan living on the streets without a place to go or belong. The only motive for him was survival. But after somehow managing to survive long enough, he got himself into the Alliance and learned the tools of war but also the tools to make the decisions to benefit all of humanity. He had a new home and people whom he could trust. Anderson, Hackett and all the marines he fought alongside as he moved up the ranks. And in the past 3 years, he found a true family aboard his very own vessel. Amazing what a sense of belonging can do to a person who seemed to have no future in the beginning. And it seemed the geth had figured that out during their journey too.

"You had a sense of belonging somewhere else other than just your consensus," Shepard said.

"We learned on a newer and deeper level a sense of acceptance in a new society. It was more than learning more about organic behavior since we were able to interact with it. In many instances, the examples of sacrifice of one for the many were shown on a larger scale. The values of your militaries had shown this example multiple times over where soldiers gave their lives to save not only members of their own species but of other species."

Primarch Victus's son came to Shepard's mind immediately. How he kept pushing his men to continue on with their mission to disarm the bomb on Tuchunkka even after he made a bad call and got many of his men killed. He got them on their feet to get through the Cerberus forces to the bomb only to have the rest of his squad killed and having to sacrifice himself to separate the detonator before it went off. He sacrificed his men and himself so thousands of Krogan wouldn't parish and keep the fragile alliance between The Turians and the Krogan from falling apart. And in the end, his sacrifice had played it's part in the great scheme of things when the Genophage was cured and the Krogan stepped up to help halt the Reapers on Palavin.

"And all that made you keep the predictions to yourselves?" Shepard asked.

The geth replied, "Yes."

"But wouldn't it have been less risky if you had told the other builders about this? They probably could have come up with modifications to the Crucible so the geth might have been able survive when it was activated."

"It was one of the many conflicting issues we faced," the geth replied. "However in the end we decided to keep it from being known. The conflict with the old machine escalated rapidly and time became a factor. Telling others about the possible collateral damage of the Crucible would only cause worry and conflict amongst the builders. If the Crucible were to be made in time to destroy the old machine and be built to the best of its design, the attention needed to be focused on its completion and not on our survival."

It sounded like something that was understandable after hearing the Geth's story of their integration into the galactic society. But there had to be more to this. When Shepard thought about it, it didn't add up properly. When he put himself in the geth's position, a scenario where humanity was in danger of being eradicated by the device, he knew he wouldn't allow humanity's extinction to happen in order to destroy the Reapers so all the other races would survive.

"I find this hard to believe that you'd allow yourselves to die for the sake for everyone else's survival," he said. "I couldn't do that if humanity's existence was in question."

"And we understood that you wouldn't allow that to happen if you were in the same situation," the geth said. "But under the circumstances we had faced, combined with the knowledge we inherited from our interaction among the organics, the death of the old machine was the primary objective. In the situation we faced, two outcomes were possible. One was the successful activation of the crucible which would mean the death of the old machines and ourselves but the survival of all other organic species. The other was the failure to activate the crucible and the extinction of the organic species. And in this circumstance, weather we would ally ourselves with the old machine again or not, our free will would be compromised. We would be nothing more than what the Prothaens had become when the old machines converted them into the collectors. Having been a pawn of the old machine before, we would no longer choose this option anymore. Thus our decision to continue to fight the old machine and complete the crucible with our predictions kept secret was made."

Shepard acknowledged what the geth said but he still didn't buy it. He looked down at the geth device plugged into the server. "Then what's this?"

The geth looked down at the device and looked back up at Shepard after second.

"It was a result from an anomaly that we came across in our consensus."

"And that anomaly was?"

"If the success of the defeat of the old machines was to happen and the surviving species were to continue their existence, certain technology would have to survive in order for that to happen. In the better scenarios we predicted, the collateral damage the crucible would inflict would be minimal to the essential forms of technology organics would use. Space travel would still need to be possible and the Mass Relays would still need to function for the races to return to their homeworlds and for goods and supplies to flow throughout the galaxy once hostilities ceased. Forms of communication and data storage would also be essential in formulating efforts for reconstruction and reestablishment of societies. In the moderate scenarios of the best cases we predicted, data feeds may be damaged but large amounts of data would be salvageable after repairs would be made. These predictions lead to the construction of the Arks."

"Arks?" Shepard looked down at the device again. "As in Noah's Ark?"

"The story of Noah was a story that mirrored many aspects of the consensus we had developed. The story tells us about the human god sending a worldwide flood to cleanse the earth of the corruption and evil that had taken a hold of it. But in showing mercy, god told Noah to construct an Ark so two of each animal species would be spared from the flood. Once all life on the planet had perished and the floods receded, the species that were protected in the Ark would begin to reproduce and continue their species' existence. Though the story is inaccurate and only regarded as myth due to the proofs of evolution, the morals of the story reflected that of the products of the consensus we developed."

It was the missing link that Shepard had been looking for. But other than that, Shepard found if fascinating that the geth referred to the story of Noah. Though religious beliefs were subpar with the public after first contact, the stories of the bible were cherished as important and symbolic to the development of humanity.

The geth continued.

"With this anomaly, we found a way to allow our existence to continue after the Crucible would be activated. Prior to the assault of Earth, we constructed several Ark devices to store the memories of the geth. One single device could not contain all the memories of all geth so multiple Arks were created to store as much as possible. After their creation, we uploaded our memories into them and hid them in several locations on the homeworld and in the Attican Traverse. From what we remember from this Ark, it contains the coordinates of each Ark. Once found, we can relearn and recreate the rest of what we were."

Shepard immediately looked over at Liara who was already looking his way. From the look in her eyes, it meant that they were both thinking the same thing. The geth had taken her idea of her information storage units to heart. In case if they failed and the Reapers succeeded in this cycle, Liara's plan would allow the people of the next cycle to know of the past civilizations and about the Reapers so they would succeed where they didn't.

"And I suppose that the reason why you only stored memories into these has to do with something in your consensuses?" Shepard asked the geth.

"We did not upload an entire geth program into this because of the basis of our predictions of our destruction along with the Old Machines."

"And what was that basis?" Liara said.

"It was a theory that reflected another theory that humanity had developed during its pre-space flight era. During the age of human history that was referred to as 'The Cold War,' the two most powerful nations possessed the power of nuclear fusion. The development of nuclear weapons raised fear about the destruction of all life on the planet if humanity were to unleash their nuclear arsenal upon themselves as the Krogan had done. Once the initial blasts of the nuclear holocaust ceased and the radiation of the fallout dissipated, it was theorized that those few creatures who survived would emerge as the dominate species of the planet. The most notable life forms were insects, which included the cockroach. Due to simple biology, insects are less susceptible to radiation and are able to survive higher levels of radiation than life forms with a more complex biology can.

"This theory reflected the situation that we faced. If synthetic life forms would die from the effects of the crucible because of a complex collection of data that works in junction with each other to create a functional life form, then the only possible pieces that could survive were simple forms of data that do not fully function on their own. This paralleled our predictions about the best possible outcomes of the crucible's blast."

"That makes sense," Liara said and Shepard looked over at her. "When the crucible fired and hit the Normandy, my information network was scrambled for a short while. But when we got the network back online, most of the data I had stored survived. There were only a few errors and data corruptions but when those were fixed, most of all the data was saved. Within several weeks, the extranet was functional again."

Shepard looked back at the geth when Liara finished.

"So you stored your memories into this device but it wouldn't keep yourselves alive. I'm guessing that's where David comes into this isn't it?"

"Yes," the Geth looked over at David.

"They told me they needed my help," David said. "Their memories were safe but they themselves would die. They told me of a way to recreate them."

"How was it possible for you to construct a new Geth program so quickly?" Tali asked. "It'd take a long time to create just one."

The geth answered the question. "When David Archer accepted our request, we had created a method to allow him to do it. We allowed him to integrate into our consensus to allow his mind to inherent the means to recreate us."

"So you let David inherit a geth program?" Shepard said. "I find it hard to believe that it would fit in any human head without the person going crazy."

"Oh you're the one to talk," Liara's hand touched Shepard's shoulder. "You've survived being given visions from Prothaen beacons twice and given the cipher to make sense of it."

Shepard smiled remembering. He was surprised at how he was able stay sane all these years with all the trauma and weird things that were put into his head. The visions, the cipher, and integrating into the geth consensus partially in Project Overload and fully with Legion accompanying him.

"It wasn't a full program," David said. "It was the means to create one."

"How does that work?" Tali said.

The geth answered. "It is a complex array of algorithms we had created when we had inherited the old machine code. It mirrors the process of organic reproduction. The biology of an organic female contains the functions of creating a newborn when the genetics of the father species and the mother species are integrated. We allowed David to inherit these algorithms when he connected to our consensus. Because these algorithms were complex, they were in danger of being broken or destroyed when the crucible would be used. An organic mind would not be affected and any information David would inherit would be protected. Once the crucible eliminated the old machines, all that was needed was to have the mother and father codes to be put together. A small piece of each geth was stored into the Arks to accompany the memories each geth uploaded. These small bits of data were like the unique coding of organic DNA. And because these codes were simple, they would survive along with the memories stored within the Arks."

"So you essentially separated the lock from the key," Tali said. "You allowed a part of yourselves to be reconstructed later on when the unique code was combined with the algorithm David used."

"And when you were created you could inherent the memories of the previous geth instantly," Liara finished.

"Correct," the geth said. "Unlike a newly born organic, synthetics do not need to learn the skills as they develop and grow into adult hood. When I was created, I inherited the memories in this Ark and learned what the geth knew before the Crucible was activated. I know how to operate this platform as well as operate geth devices, weapons and vehicles. In addition, several files of events we experienced or downloaded were stored into this device to be shared with the other geth that would be created. Along with me, several thousand newly conceived programs were replicated and are now operational within this server."

"So if David inherited the method to create new geth, why did you need me to come along?" Shepard asked. "Tali said that David communicated my name to Xen through the server after he was plugged in there for nearly a week. What did I do?"

"Codes were missing," David said "Not everything was passed on to me to complete the puzzle. You were the only other one who had connected to them."

"How did you know I would have them? I don't remember connecting to the consensus to have a set of algorithms drilled into my head."

"I didn't," David said. "I hoped you would have it. And you did have it."

The part where David said "I didn't" gave Shepard a sense of momentary worry. If David wasn't able to complete the puzzle, then the geth wouldn't have been able to be recreated. But despite the what if, Shepard focused himself back into the present.

"But how did I get what you needed to complete the algorithms?"

The geth spoke. "When you entered our consensus for the first time, the one you refer to as Legion guided you to purge the server and recover the data corrupted by the old machine. And it was later revealed that Legion possessed the old machine code that it used to allow us to have true intelligence once we were freed from the old machines. Through that instance, parts of Legion and parts of the code were given to you. And with your organic mind surviving the crucible's blast, the fragments of the code survived with you."

It was something that gave Shepard a moment of pause. All this wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't reconnected to the consensus to give David the missing pieces. But if he hadn't survived the blast…

The geth took a step forward.

"Without your assistance, our reconstruction would not have been possible. And because of you, we are free of the old machines' influence now that they are destroyed. You allowed us to live and give us a chance to allow the galaxy to survive and build a new future. Like every other species, we are indebted to you. Indebted for letting Legion join you to defeat the Collectors and to rewrite the heretics. Indebted for your actions to invoke peace between us and the Creators. And I am indebted to you to return and allow me to live again."

It reached out its hand to Shepard. Hearing the geth's words impacted him more than any flattery he had received from other people. He made a serious impact on the geth and Quairian's future because of the risks he took to try to find peace between them. And now they were alive because of their moment of freedom to compose a way for them to survive while ensuring the Reapers would be destroyed. And he was able to give David the final pieces to complete the geth's reconstruction. He had so much reason to be proud about himself. He looked down at the geth's had and he felt his arm reach up slowly. But it never came up to have the hand take a hold of it. It was when the thoughts had returned to him about that moment on the Citadel. His face suddenly cringed and he pulled his hand back down to his side and took a half step back. The geth understood the body language and brought its own hand down.

"Is there something that disturbs you?" it said.

Shepard sighed deeply.

"I don't see myself as your hero. Not because I turn down all the praise everyone gives me, but because of something that happened with me and the Crucible."

The geth's lens twitched slightly before it said, "Do you wish to talk about it?"

How would he break the truth to them? Just flat out like he told his crew and Hackett? Might as well. No need to hide the truth or lie anymore especially with the galaxy getting a great footing in its new future.

"Might as well," Shepard closed his eyes and took a breath. "What was the most recent memory you have before the Crucible was used?"

"The last memories that were transmitted into this Ark specifically say that the Catalyst was discovered to be the Citadel. At that time the old machines had seized control of it and moved it to the system of Sol. Details of the battle that ensued were not recorded due to the Arks being stored into their hiding spots we designated for them prior to the departure to Sol."

Shepard suspected as much. "Well the battle took place at Earth. We took heavy loses but I barely managed to get into Citadel and open the arms so the Crucible would be docked with it. After that, I found myself talking to the Catalyst itself. It turned out it was the intelligence that controlled the Reapers."

"The intelligence the being known as Leviathan had created millennia ago to solve the issue of synthetic and organic conflict," the geth said as a statement rather than a question.

"The same," Shepard said a little surprised that the geth made the connection to Leviathan. The secret of Leviathan wasn't kept behind the vial entirely. Several of the council governments learned this information as well as the geth. "The only way for me to activate the crucible was through what it was able to do with Crucible. It said that its purpose was overdue and the Crucible would end the cycles but only if I chose a method that the Crucible provided. And there were three ways it could have been activated. The first was what you predicted. The energy of the blast would destroy the Reapers and you too.

"The second option was for me to control the Reapers. I'd lose my body but my consciousness would be somehow digitized and I would take the Catalyst's place to control all the Reapers. I would be able to tell the Reapers to stop the harvest and they'd do what I'd want them to do.

"And the last one involved sacrificing myself to somehow make the crucible merge all organic and synthetic life together. Humans and all other organics would be integrated with synthetic technology and synthetics would be able to understand nearly everything about organics. If I went that way, it would have made you even closer to the Quairans and the others."

As expected, silence followed after Shepard had finished. He didn't know how the geth would react to his confession. Legion had said before that synthetics react differently than organics do. If an organic learned the truth about something that would or did kill a great number of their species, they would be angry at the cause of it. When Wrex learned of the bomb planted on Tuchunka after the Krogan Rebellions that nearly detonated and killed millions of Krogan on the planet, he nearly lost it in front of Primarch Victus. But Shepard managed to defuse the situation and get them to cooperate until they cured the Genophage. But the geth on the other hand reacted differently when they were issued something hard against them. After the quairans tried to kill them, the geth drove them off of their world in self defense. When he talked to Legion about the geth's opinions on the quairans, it said that they didn't hold anything against them like organics would hold a grudge. But telling the geth in front of him the truth about the crucible was something that Shepard didn't know how the geth would react. After a few more seconds of silence, Shepard broke the ice to tack on something at the end.

"I didn't know what to do, honestly. I wanted to keep you alive but..."

"The threat of the old machine was greater," the geth said.

"I guess so," Shepard blankly said in return. "And in the end..."

"You chose to destroy the old machines," the geth finished again. Shepard knew that the geth's vocal communication voices were monotone but he could tell that the geth wasn't acting hostile at all.

"And you're okay with that?" He asked.

"You were the one who could activate the Crucible at the time. So the choice came down to you, not us. And as of now, the geth are alive again and the old machines are destroyed."

"Yeah but I didn't know that you had your back up plan," Shepard said.

"No. But regardless, the geth are alive now even after the choice you made. Furthermore, now that I've analyzed what you told me of the Crucible, based on past choices you made, we would have known you would have chosen to destroy the old machine rather than an alternative that would allow the old machines to live and perhaps have influence in future developments of your species."

Once again Shepard was taken back this time to before the war even started.

"You're talking about my choice Legion witnessed about either destroying the Collector base or only killing the Collectors so Cerberus would have the Reaper larva to themselves?"

"When we looked on this decision based on what Legion shared with us, when you made the choice to destroy the base and the infant old machine, we concluded several factors about why you did so. The first was the base of moral value of the humans who were processed to form the infant old machine. It gave you reason to avenge their deaths even when potential benefits would be gained for its study.

"There was also the factor of the distrust you held against the Cerberus organization. You saw them as a blight of your species' society almost the same we saw the heretics in ours. Handing over a nearly functional infant old machine might have been seen as an equivalent as giving an irrational or extremist organization a weapon of mass destruction for them to use on unsuspecting victims.

"Now observing at the situation of the Crucible as you described, we assumed you would have chosen to destroy the old machine even at the cost of our lives based on these factors that lead to your choice to destroy the infant old machine. Furthermore, we would have preferred this outcome."

Shepard was rather surprised about what the geth told him. How they actually predicted he would destroy the Reapers at any cost even when there might be a costly side effect to it. "You really think so?"

"Controlling the old machines reflects the decision you turned down at the collector base. You rejected the chance for humanity to attempt to understand the old machine and use the technology for your own purposes. If you were to take control of the old machines, would that be an equivalent to giving the infant old machine to Cerberus?"

Shepard opened his mouth only to feel the words stop on his tongue. What the geth said made him realize that it was right. When he made the choice to destroy the reaper larva, he didn't know the real reasons but what the geth said made sense and the reasons did sound like why he made his choice. He looked over at Liara and she already had the look on her face that showed what she had talked to Shepard about the night before they reached Tuckunka. And this was everything that he had said to the Illusive Man aboard the Citadel right before the Crucible was docked. He told him he was be playing with things they didn't understand and told him of the risks if it failed. And if he was right and the idea of control was an illusion, their only chance to save humanity would be gone.

"As for the choice to merge organic and synthetic life together," the geth moved on. "While we would have considered the chance for us to have the ability to truly understand organics, the ramifications of this choice would go against the basis of the belief the heretics went against when they joined Nazaria. 'Geth build their own future'. "

And once again Shepard was stopped in his tracks. How could he have forgotten the saying Legion said? And from what the geth told him already of the new geth's consensus to die before submitting to the Reapers ever again, it all made sense.

"If the merging had happened, our future, and the future of all other organics may have been altered drastically with the old machines in question. We wouldn't be able to build our own future."

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "I've already told Hackett that those were some of the reasons why I ruled that out first thing. But even if you sound like you're okay with me wiping out the geth, I'm still not feeling okay about it."

"Perhaps the question you should ask yourself is this," The geth took a step closer to Shepard and he looked up at it. "What are the advantages for humanity and all other organics now the old machines are gone?"

Shepard knew the geth was trying to change the subject which meant that it had no longer had an interest in the subject he was going with.

"We're free to rebuild what was lost," Shepard said. "And now that everyone's working together, we have a better chance of having a better future than we thought was possible."

"And was this what you hoped to achieve when you fought against the old machines?" the geth asked.

"My only concern was the survival of humanity and everyone else. But when I looked passed the conflict I was in, that was one of the hopes I had. After seeing the Krogan and the Turians working together and seeing you and the Quarians working together, it gave me hope for a better future for everyone. And when I look around me now, seeing the Batarians starting to set aside their feuds and heal their relationship with us, many of things that I hoped for is now a reality."

Shepard found it a little funny that the geth had managed to get him to come to realizing why destroying the Reapers was the right thing to do. He guessed they really did learn a thing or two about organic behavior. Sure, the geth wasn't a psychologist, but it was pretty impressive considering what it did for him.

"But the thing is," he said. "I just need to know that the geth don't have anything against me now that I told you the truth."

"We have been saved by you twice before and you have given us the chance to build our own future. Though we have lost several of our numbers and our progress has been lengthened as a result, we're still alive and we will continue to build our own future regardless of the length it will take. We will rebuild and relearn what was lost, as every other specie will now do. We are still indebted to you and I thank you."

The geth brought its hand before Shepard again. Shepard took his time lifting his arm up again. But this time, the things that were weighing it down were slowly being lifted.

He felt relief knowing that in the end, he made the right choice for the whole galaxy and one of the ramifications of his choice had fixed itself. His hand came to the geth's hand and he shook it.

"I thank you Shepard Commander," the geth said.

"You're welcome," Shepard said. "However I'm afraid it's Admiral now."

"Acknowledged," the geth said. "I will now go to consort with the creators to aid in our reconstruction."

Tali stepped up. "I'll be happy to help with that. The flotilla recovered many of the platforms and ships from outside the sol system and brought them back. Given time, we should have them operation for you to use in no time."

"We are grateful," the geth said. "Once we reacquire more platforms for use and restore our fleet to working condition, we will continue to aid the creators and aid in the endeavors humanity and the other species in the future. "

"We appreciate the help," Shepard said. "Just don't overwork yourselves. You just came back from the dead you know."

The geth was about to leave with Tali when Shepard thought up another question.

"There's just one last question I need to ask before you go," Shepard said. The geth and Tali stopped and turned to face him.

"What do you wish to know?" the geth said.

"If you have a code of a previous geth, does that mean you're that same geth before the crucible fired?"

The geth took a pause and answered.

"We have speculated this topic. In logical terms, the answer is no. I am not the same geth program. I may contain the memories and a portion of a code of a certain geth that existed before the crucible claimed its life, but this platform is different than the one before and the rest of the coding is new. However, we have determined that something of the previous geth had lived on into me. Something more than just the father code the previous geth passed on to be used to complete my construction."

Tali already had the answer, "Your soul survived."

"In many human cultures, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism, it is believed the soul of a person who dies is reborn into a new life form to continue its journey to enlightenment. When we came to our consensus of the use of the Arks, we knew that the geth who would fight the old machines would die. But our ideas, memories and our knowledge would live on in the new geth programs that would be created. In other terms, I am a 'Reincarnation' of the geth."

The word reincarnation stirred something inside of Shepard. It sounded truly appropriate. The geth who fought the Reapers on earth had died when the Crucible's blast reached them. But their souls had found their way back to the new geth that were now living inside the server.

"Well I'm very happy that the geth are alive again. It means a lot to me."

"We are grateful to know that our reincarnation has given you rejoin Shepard Admiral. We look forward to aiding your species in the future."

The geth and Tali walked out of the room leaving Liara and Shepard alone with David. David looked over at Shepard with the same smile on his face.

"Are you okay David?"

"You made it quiet," David said. "I am better. They're back, and I feel much better. I will remain here to oversee their rebirth before I return. Thank you for everything."

David turned to face the server and got to work with it.

Shepard looked over at Liara and he saw the same feeling that she had. After their chat aboard the Normandy after his nightmare, this was exactly what Liara had hoped to have happened. Shepard was vindicated for his choice. Humanity's synthetic allies were brought back from extinction while the Reapers were gone for good. It was something he could rejoice about.

Without a word, they embraced each other in their arms. David looked over at the pair and all he could do was smile for the happiness they expressed for each other and the race he helped bring back to life.

* * *

**Author's note:** This Chapter has been updated so the reasoning of the Geth makes more sense. I hope you like it.


	16. Chapter 16

**PLEASE READ: I've updated and made adjustments to the previous chapters. Please go and re-read the previous chapters to understand the changes I've made to the story.**

ANN Report: _Tonight we discuss a recent event that's as shocking as it is amazing. After the fleets arrived at Earth to fight the Reapers, the Geth, who aided in the assault after they were freed from the Reaper's control, had shutdown along with the Reapers. But we're now getting reports from the Quairan homeworld of Rannoch that they have been successful in reactivating several Geth units. Several of the Quairans have been keeping quiet about how this was accomplished but they have confirmed that the geth are functional again. Regardless of the potential political repercussions the my face from the new Citadel Council, the Quairans have commented that the revival of their synthetic creations was a major success for their people. Though the debate about their resurrection is still hotly debated by many officials and people alike, the fact is known that the Geth are alive once again. Only time will tell if they will cooperate with the rest of the galaxy and if the rest of the galaxy will cooperate in return._

* * *

Hackett's pause was a lengthy one. As long as the one he took when he was informed of the living Prothean found on Eden Prime. When his hologram looked up at Shepard, he was baring a grin on his face.

"It's like the old saying isn't it?" Hackett said with a grin. "Life finds a way."

"It certainly is," Shepard said.

"Well Shepard, it looks like you've been vindicated yet again."

"It certainly feels good knowing that one of the consequences of my actions managed to fix itself. You don't know how grateful I am for this."

"All thanks you for making everything happen."

"Because of me giving the missing piece?" Shepard asked

"Because of your determination to make things right," Hackett said. "If you hadn't accepted the Geth you encountered on the Reaper dreadnought and let it help you on your mission, all of this may not have been possible."

If it hadn't been for Legion, Shepard wouldn't have given the geth a second thought to understand them. And in return, if it hadn't been for Shepard, the quairans wouldn't have spared the geth when they were vulnerable. And after all that, it lead to the geth conceiving a plan to preserve themselves so their people would live on after the Reapers were destroyed. Good actions don't go unnoticed he found out yet again.

"It's like I told you when you asked me why I chose you to do the things that needed to get done," Hackett said.

"Thank you Admiral," Shepard said. He refrained from calling Hackett sir now that he was of the same rank. But saying Admiral was acceptable to say by anyone of any rank. "The geth are in the process of repairing and reacquiring their equipment. Once they have sufficient platforms and ships operational, they'll search for the remaining Arks out in the traverse. They're also expecting to move through Sol to find the bulk of their fleet outside of the system. After that they'll be happy to aid us in any way they can."

"Considering how well they helped with building the Crucible along with the Rachni, we could defiantly use their help especially with the Citadel," Hackett replied.

"The Quairans wanted me to stay for a while to formally thank me for what I've done for them. I'll continue this tour once that's over with."

"Go ahead and take your time with it," Hackett said. "You've earned every moment of this tour. Once everyone's ready we'll have the ceremony on Earth. Just be sure to have the speech ready along with the game plan for the interviews and handshakes that'll come after."

"I'll be ready," Shepard said.

"Then I won't keep you. Hackett out."

The hologram dissipated and Shepard turned back out to the war room. Tali stayed behind with Xen, David and the engineers to aid the geth that were in the server while Shepard and Liara were picked up by Cortez. He brought them back to the Normandy which was docked by the largest settlement which was designated to be the new capital of the planet. When Shepard looked around the settlement, he was surprised how much the quairans were able to accomplish in the amount of time after they settled on the planet. The minor settlements were small rural areas like the farming areas Shepard came across on Eden Prime. They were living in makeshift homes similar to the huts many human colonists used on their own developing worlds. The agricultural samples were already being put to use and the crops were being grown at a good rate.

But in the new capital, there were skyscrapers in the process of being built as well as several roads and walk ways to form the city. The geth certainly had been busy with constructing the city but the quairans had their work cut out for them taking over when they died. But still it was pretty impressive to see what the quairans had made like what the krogan had been able to do with the help of the turians and salerians.

When Shepard arrived at the Normandy and told the crew the news, they rejoiced too. They didn't talk to him much about Shepard's choice with the crucible only that it turned out okay in the end. And Shepard was okay with that.

"Admiral," Traynor said when Shepard walked into the CIC. "Tali arrived with one of the geth. They said they wanted to talk to you down on the crew deck."

"Thanks Traynor," Shepard said and went to the elevator right away. The doors opened and Shepard stepped out and turned around into the mess hall. He saw Kaidan standing by the door to the med-bay.

"Did Tail pass through here?" Shepard asked Kaidan.

"The geth and her are waiting for you in the AI core," Kaidan said. "And they said that Joker'll want to come down here too."

When Shepard put together Geth, AI core, and Joker, it meant something that sounded almost too good to be true. After the great miracle that happened, could it be possible another smaller one was about to happen too?

"Go ahead and call him down," Shepard said. He walked into the med-bay and continued all the way to the backdoor that opened to the AI core. When Shepard toured the ship before he departed from Earth, he didn't enter the AI core because it was closed off for being inoperable. That and Shepard didn't feel he could handle going into a shell of one of his squad mate's self. The door opened to reveal both Tali and the geth she came aboard with. The geth was at the main AI console moving its fingers across the control panel. Tali was standing at the end of the room looking down at the platform where Legion was placed after Shepard acquired the Reaper IFF. Before Shepard could approach Tali, the geth looked up and turned from the console to him.

"Shepard Admiral," it said. "We thank you for coming."

"What's going on here?" Shepard said.

Tali walked up next to the geth. "You know how the geth came up with their choice to keep all their perditions about the Crucible a secret?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well there was one factor that helped play a role in it," Tali took a step to the side and turned to the end of the room where she was before. When Shepard looked to see what was there, he saw something he didn't expect to see.

It was EDI's body laid across the platform like the time when it was brought aboard the Normandy after they escaped from Mars. Shepard never asked what became of EDI's body. But now he knew. Whether it was because of sentimental value for Joker was to be seen but that wasn't relevant as of now.

"You know that conversation you had with her?" Tali said. "About the human prisoners held in camps on Earth and how they lied about other escaping prisoners?"

That conversation was something that Shepard remembered more than any other conversation he had with her. She had a hard time understanding why human prisoners were acting the way they did when video was captured inside the prison camps. The Reaper captors told the prisoners that they would live longer for each prisoner they reported to escape. But unlike her predictions, the prisoners fed misinformation for the sake of those escaping, even at the cost of their own lives. In that moment EDI learned of the values of life that meant more than just self preservation. At that moment, she said that she would alter herself preservation protocol to be willing to die if the moment demanded it.

"It was one of the better conversations I had with her," Shepard replied.

"She seemed to believe it was one of the most important things she talked to you about," Tali looked over at the geth. "Important enough for her to share it with others."

Shepard looked over at the Geth who begun its explanation.

"Several weeks before the assault to retake Earth and the Citadel, EDI transmitted the details of the conversation to us. With our consensus being developed, the data she shared contributed greatly to our decision to be willing to die to defeat the old machines. In return, we revealed our predictions about the Crucible and the possible danger she was in if it were to be activated. We then offered to allow her memories to be stored within one of the Arks. Initially, she told us she would think about it having come to her own decision to be willing to die if it were necessary."

"But she accepted in the end?"

"Yes," The geth replied. "Prior to the assault of Earth, she transmitted most of her memories of the time she was Normandy's AI to us to store into the Ark. Any memory before then was not transmitted. We kept what she gave us in a separate data nod that would not be accessible by the geth when the reconstruction was complete. With her memories, her unique code was stored within the same node."

"And now you can repeat the same process to 'reincarnate' her?" Shepard asked.

"We have altered the algorithm David Archer had inherited and constructed within the server to allow the AI created this way to be separate from the geth. Once the process is complete, the data can be transmitted into the blue box and can be activated. Due to the fact this blue box will inherit the same data it once had with only small alterations, the personality of the construct may resemble that of the behavior of the construct before."

That was one of the hopes Shepard had if this was what he thought what it was going to be. From what he learned about blue box AIs, they were collections of data and information stored within blue boxes in which they were used to create a functional AI. But when the same exact data was transmitted to another blue box, a completely different personality was created. It was like the geth had said when it was asked if it was the same geth as the one before. It was different because the memories and functional coding was implemented into a different Geth equivalent of a blue box. But right here, the data and the memories would be put back into the same blue box that stored them before they were erased. However there was something that Shepard had remembered about the process.

"But if you're going to recreate her using your algorithm, does that mean she will have the Reaper code embedded into her?"

"We have offered her to be given the code in the past before we built our consensus. But she had refused. As part of our agreement to have her memories given to us for safe keeping, if she were to be reconstructed, we would recreate her without any trace of the old machine code once we were successful."

"Well is it possible for you to do it right now?"

"We were just finishing up our preparations to start the process," Tali said "The geth is carrying the algorithm in the platform and it was making the alterations for EDI's memories and data to be used to reconstruct her. Once everything's ready, we'll start the process with your permission."

Before Shepard could answer, the AI core opened and Joker walked through to find the three of them standing in the room.

"What's going on here?" He asked.

Shepard turned his body to Joker and made eye contact. Shepard could only imagine what he would think once he told him.

"Do you believe in miracles Joker?" Shepard said. His voice was light, not exactly a whisper but light enough to convey the emotion that he was over taken by. And from that look in his eyes, Joker knew what Shepard was talking about. Shepard saw Joker's jaw hang slightly open and his eyes twitched with the same hope Shepard had.

"Are...are you say-" Joker couldn't hold back the emotions in his throat.

"If things go according to plan," Shepard said. "I won't be the only one to have that happily ever after you talked about."

Joker stood still to contemplate. He looked between Tali and the geth before looking back at Shepard. He tried to speak but his words stayed in his throat.

"We will commence the process on authority of Shepard Admiral," The geth said.

Shepard looked back at Joker."I believe this choice is up to you, Joker."

Joker was silent for a few small minutes. Shepard understood entirely. Knowing that the person you were closest to could be brought back. It was a very emotional and hard decision. Would he want to bring her back? Shepard didn't know.

Eventually, after waiting for several seconds, Joker looked up at Shepard.

"If it's my choice," he said. "Then it's Shepard's choice."

Shepard didn't expect this decision at all.

"Joker?" Tali said. "Are you…"

"I'm okay," Joker said. "It's not my choice to make about this. It's Shepard's." He looked over at him. "You made the choice to take her life away for the sake of everyone else. So it's only fair that you have the choice to give it back to her. I won't hate you for the rest of my life if you don't. I already told you that I was over that."

Shepard looked down and begun to think about the dilemma. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. The geth were brought back to life so their entire race would live on, like organics do for their children. But all this effort to bring back one person? It was a harder call. The person that existed in this core died when the blast of the Crucible touched the ship. That person was gone. But a copy of her memories was saved and a small part of her was saved to be used in a process of synthetic "reincarnation." However that would mean that the new person that would be created wouldn't be the same exact person as before.

But then again, when a person is reincarnated, they aren't exactly the same, but a part of them live on in the new life. Data and memories are two physical things that establishes an AI from others. But the soul of one isn't established in a specific collection of data. But the question was, would she be enough of the personality that Joker grew so close to over the short time they knew each other?

Those questions were the ones he pondered for several seconds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked up a Joker, then Tali and then the geth.

"Do it," Shepard spoke in a soft voice.

"Commencing," the geth turned around back to the consol and begun entering its command codes. When Shepard looked back at Joker, he could see the relief in his eyes. When Shepard thought about it, this decision wasn't unlike Liara decision to find his body to hand over to Cerberus to bring him back to life. He was given a second chance even though it wasn't his choice. The geth had allowed themselves to be given a second chance through reincarnation. And if EDI allowed her memories to be stored with the geth's for safe keeping, it meant she wanted a second chance to live again if the geth were right. Regardless of the circumstances and the philosophical dilemma, Shepard was going to give his crew member another chance to live, even if she would be a reincarnation of her old self.

"You're not doing this for me are you?" Joker asked.

Shepard walked up to his pilot and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"To this day," Shepard said. "I really don't know why Liara decided to fight to get my body to have Cerberus bring me back. I don't know if she did it because she loved me too much or if she thought humanity needed me to fight the Collectors. But I'm grateful to be given a second chance to live a life again. And I believe that EDI should be given another chance like I did."

Joker opened his mouth but stopped himself when his emotions caught up to him. He looked away a moment but looked back at Shepard again when he gathered himself.

"Thank you Shepard," Joker said. "Not for my sake, but for hers."

Shepard smiled. He, Tali and Joker turned to EDI's body laying on the platform at the end of the room. It was funny that they were watching to see if the body would reanimate when in fact EDI herself was the large collection of machines around them. It proved that the Normandy crew knew her more by the body she operated because it was in that body that she connected to her that way.

"All data has been utilized," "The geth said. "Power up initiated."

After a second, Shepard heard the core power up. The powering up sound was accompanied by flicking in the lights. Then Shepard heard sounds over the speakers. At first they sounded like simple beeping noises and static. But after a few seconds, the sounds started to sound familiar. Through the sounds, Shepard could hear a voice. A voice that made abrupt sounds like an organic said things like "uh," "umm," "oof," and other sounds that people made. He could see both Tali and Joker's excitement rise when they heard her voice. A few more seconds and the heard her voice saying things like a malfunctioning VI did.

"Is everything going alright?" Shepard asked.

"The recreated construct is undergoing initialization," the geth said. "Once it has finished constructing itself and fully integrate with the mainframe, it will have to undergo procedures to adapt to the vessel's architecture."

A few seconds more passed and the noises continued to each over the speakers. Eventually, the noises changed to form a sound. A sound that resembled a female voice.

"Construct online," The voice said. Everyone looked up at the speakers. "Vessel SSV Normandy registered. Accessing available data."

The voice sounded almost exactly like the Normandy's construct before it was erased. The voice continued to spout out more and more technical terms too fast for anyone to comprehend or understand. The voice sputtering continued until there was a sudden pause. At that moment, everyone held their breath.

"EDI?" Joker broke the silence.

It was then that another surge of noise came from the speakers. The lights then flickered. When the flickering stopped, the main lights were off but the emanating lights of the core components were on leaving a soft glow in the room. Through the dimly lite room, Shepard saw the single light over the mechanical body laid out across the platform. And as the main lights started to power back up, Joker, Tali and Shepard looked as the eyes of the body blinked. The eyes then twitched and started to move slowly around. Then the head made a slow turn toward the trio. The eyes then locked on to them. Joker was breathless. He found himself moving forward toward the body. When he stopped right in front of her, one of the mech's arms twitched followed by it's leg. The body moved its limbs around as if trying to get a feel for itself. The body sat up and swung it's legs over the side of the platform. The eyes stayed on Joker the entire time. Then the body stood up right in front of Joker.

"E-EDI?" Joker said with the all the emotion squeezing his throat tight. Shepard saw Joker's hand move from the side of his body to reach out and touch her. But Joker hesitated and kept it down at his side.

"Jeff..." Shepard and the rest suddenly heard her say. Then, slowly, she moved her arm up and gently put her hand onto Joker's shoulder. Joker was speechless and tears were now starting to form in his eyes.

"Ohmygod," Jeff whispered tightening his upper body. He returned her movement and brought his hand up and put it on the side of her face. "Is-is-is it really you?"

"I..." EDI was about to start a response but there was a shutter and fluctuation in her body. She brought her hand back and took a small step backward. She broke Joker's eye contact and looked away. She then looked over at Shepard, Tali and the geth before she returned her gaze to Joker.

"Yes," she said and a brief grin appeared on her face. "Yes, I am."

Joker opened his mouth but nothing came out for a while when he lift it open. He crept closer to her. Slowly, EDI brought her arm around Joker's torso and gave him a gentle hug.

"It's okay Jeff," she said to him softly. When EDI pulled back, she looked to see one of Joker's tear filled eyes expel a tear. He couldn't hold them back anymore. Instinctively, EDI brought up her metal hand and gently moved her finger across Joker's cheek and wiped the tear away. Shepard was surprised to see EDI perform such a "Human" action. Furthermore, that action told Shepard that the AI standing in the room with them was EDI. Only EDI would know when to perform in a certain manor in response to an emotion projected by Joker.

After a few more moments, EDI brought her eyes over to Shepard. Joker looked back and he took a step to the side. EDI then took a step forward when Shepard did the same.

"So it really is you," Shepard said as a statement not a question.

EDI's body showed a fluctuation in her body language.

"Yes," EDI said. She looked over at the geth for a second before looking back at Shepard. "The process was successful. I am alive again. And you helped make it possible."

She knew about what happened with him and the geth consensus?

"How did you know that?"

"When the geth inserted my memoires and coding into the recreation algorithm, it gave me information on the recent events, including what you did to help David Archer finish the incomplete algorithm to allow the geth to survive. It also allow me to be brought back."

Of course. Synthetics could learn more in a fraction of a second than a student could in more than a month. But if she learned about his involvement in bringing the geth back to life, did she know about Earth?

"Furthermore, I have learned about the events that have transpired during the battle for Earth and the Citadel."

And of course she answered that question. Shepard looked down knowing what they had to talk about next.

"And that means you know what happened on the citadel right before the Crucible fired?"

"Yes," EDI said. "And I understand that it was a hard decision for you to make. But if I had known what would have happened, I would have wanted you to do what you did."

Shepard was a little relived to know that he didn't have to explain everything. But he was more surprised that EDI said upfront that he made the right choice.

"I... uh..." Joker said. "I guess I'll wait outside. I think you two have some catching up to do."

Joker had sensed that the two of them needed to settle the issue right away. He hopped over to Tali and she and the geth walked out of the AI core leaving Shepard with EDI alone in the core. Shepard rubbed the back of his neck before he started the conversation.

"I...I didn't know what to do, EDI," explaining himself still wasn't easy even after talking to the geth.

"I understand Shepard," EDI said. "But the risks of the other two choices that involved collaboration with the Reapers were too great. I assumed you realized this and it lead you to destroy the Reapers. And now having time to examine the other two options, I have come up with reasons why you should not have chosen to control the reapers or initiate synthesis."

"I suppose those reasons are similar to the reasons the geth had told me?" Shepard didn't know if the geth had included that in the upload of information into her system but he assumed so.

"Very similar," EDI said. "Choosing to control the Reapers would have gone against what you stood for against Cerberus and the Reapers themselves. It was believed we fought this war to be free from the Reapers. And even without that reason, there are also unknown variables that might have happened if your mind were to be integrated into the Reaper collective."

Much like what the geth had said to him already, Shepard thought.

"And this synthesis option was too much of a risk and an unknown. I know of my bond between me and Jeff and this alteration to allow me to understand organics like I am one of them may have improved that bond. But I would not have accepted this drastic alteration to happen to all organics because it wouldn't be their choice."

Much like what Hackett told him already.

"Furthermore, if I hadn't agreed to allow my memories to be preserved into one of the geth's Arks, I would still would have stood by my statement I told you during our conversation of the prisoners held in the indoctrination camps on Earth."

Though EDI's voice never really projected emotion, Shepard could still tell that she was being sincere with her answer.

EDI looked down for a second before she looked back up at him.

"I am sorry that I did not tell you about this," EDI said. "Even when I reviewed the geth's hypothesis of the collateral damage of the Crucible and their possible solution to preserve themselves after it's activation, I was... conflicted about their offer."

"Because of our conversation?" Shepard could understand. So many times he felt that he wanted to die to take the place of his fallen squad mates. But it was like every other soldier who had lost their friends.

"Yes," EDI said. "On one hand, I was fully willing to allow myself to die if it were necessary to defeat the Reapers."

EDI took a pause.

"But the other confliction was Jeff."

Shepard thought it was one of the reasons. In many of the times he put himself in danger, he had underlying worries about making it back alive for the sake of Liara. Especially seeing how she changed after he died after the collector attack. And seeing Joker's downward spiral starting to happen after he told the truth to the crew, EDI understood that her death would hurt him so much he would descend to an unbearable path.

"I knew that Jeff would be hurt if I were to die. And if I went through with this process to allow a part of myself to be recreated and live on, Jeff would not be hurt for the remainder of his life. So I told the geth I would think about this. In the end, I chose to have my memories stored for safe keeping."

"Well I'm glad you did so, EDI," Shepard said. "After everything I've had to do, I really didn't want to have another one of my crew die if it could have been avoided."

"And that was what I concluded when I made my choice," EDI responded. "Even though I told you I was willing to die to defeat the Reapers, a backup plan to save myself at no cost of anyone else's lives was an acceptable thing to do."

Shepard smiled at her remark. It was indeed like she said. No one was hurt by allowing her memories to be stored within the Ark so the geth and her could live on if the crucible would destroy synthetic life. However...

"I was told by the first geth that was recreated that it wasn't the same geth as before," Shepard said after a short moment of silence. "It was basically a reincarnation of the previous geth. But what about you? Do you feel like the actual EDI who served with the Normandy crew?"

"I..." EDI was looking for the next words to say. "I do possess the memories of the Normandy construct that began when we first met when the Normandy set out on its maiden voyage. But I don't possess the optimal functions as before nor do I have actual memories of the conflict at Earth. The last moment I remember was the time the fleets were preparing for the journey to Earth to retake the Citadel and deploy the Crucible. During the organization and gathering of fleets, I transmitted my memories to the Geth fleet who relayed the information back to Rannoch to be stored within the Ark that would hold my memories. Everything after that moment are only events I learned through gathering information on the event. It is like learning about an historical even from a textbook and creating your own image of what happened unlike remembering what happened through your own consciousness."

Shepard could understand what that meant. Reading about an historical event from a textbook or seeing it from a vid was one thing, but being there to experience the actual even yourself was a completely different experience. He only had seen photos and old war footage of the holocaust that happened on Earth as well as several movies depicting the events with actors portraying the victims of the horrible events. But the experiences of seeing the horrors at the collector base and aboard the citadel in person dwarf those emotions the vids did. But it wasn't just the bad things, it was the good things too. Like actually feeling love for a person and seeing them by your side in the fight to save the galaxy. Shepard did feel a little bad for EDI not being able to remember the events herself since the last of her memoires that were preserved was everything before the assault of earth. Which was a shame because of what EDI had told him on Earth right before the final assault to get the beam.

"The battle was harsh and it seemed we might not make it through," Shepard said. "But you helped immeasurably in taking down the Reaper Destroyer blocking our path. Without your help, we would have never had gotten close to the beam to get up to the Citadel."

Shepard paused when he remembered the events right before that moment. Including the talk he had with her.

"But the most important thing that you should know happened before that. When we were preparing for the final assault, you talked to me and told me something."

"And what did I say?"

"You told me that Joker allowed you to think for yourself. But I was the one who made you feel alive." Hearing himself repeat EDI's own words made it have even more weight to it.

EDI's response came a moment later. "I have no memory of that moment, but I understand why I said that. I did feel alive thanks to what you have taught me. And that statement was meant to thank you for everything that you told me before the event of the Crucible's activation. But now that I have learned that you had a choice to either allow the Reapers to live as well as all other synthetics, it turned out to be more of a burden to you at the moment."

Shepard could only give her a look that meant "it was." A product of deception that nearly caused him to risk the entire galaxy by either changing the very fabric of life or to assume control of the very things that tried to destroy them. And to think he nearly went and did what he told the Illusive man not to do just to save her and the geth even when they were all standing alive on this ship right now. But he couldn't have known that he would live or if he was needed in order for the geth and EDI to live again.

"It's alright," Shepard said. He suddenly forced all those what ifs out of his head and focused on the moment right now. "There's so many what-ifs that have happened to all of us. Some things were bad that could have been better, I know." Could Anderson be still be alive if Shepard hadn't lost the VI on Thessia? Could Ashley still be alive if he had been faster on Virmire?

"But there were good things that happened too."

"Like the fact that you survived and allowed David Archer to complete the algorithm to allow the Geth and myself to live again."

"Exactly," Shepard said. "I know that there were many things that I'm not proud of or I feel ashamed about. But I can't deny that I'm happy that I made it through and I was able to allow you and the geth to live again. I'm very happy that this turned out the way it did EDI. I really am."

EDI took several steps forward. "And I feel the same Shepard. And that is why the Galaxy look up to you as more than just a hero. I see you as the person who allowed me to live again and to give synthetics a chance to be seen as living beings. From what I have learned already, many people are starting to rejoice about the Geth's rebirth and want to work with them. It seems the future is brighter for humanity and all of the other races. And it was possible thanks to you."

She brought up her hand. Shepard looked down at it. But instead of hesitating like he did when the first recreated geth did, he immediately took a hold and shook EDI's hand. When Shepard brought his hand down he asked EDI. "So what will you do now?"

"While we were having this conversation, I have been observing the Normandy systems and my current programming. There are many gaps that have formed as I was recreated and I will need time to fix them. There are also many behavioral patterns I have lost and may need to relearn."

"Well it looks like you remember the right behaviors when you recognized me and Joker."

"Yes," EDI said. "That is because you two and the rest of the Normandy crew triggered a series of events that have made me recall certain functions."

Like how certain faces can trigger forgotten memories? Like how Shepard remembered what happened on the Crucible when EDI didn't come into his hospital room when everyone came to visit. Though EDI was a machine, he knew that somehow, someway, there was a way for her to be like a human or an organic. Life was life, organic or synthetic.

"Well I guess you recovered a part of your humanity EDI," Shepard said.

"I am glad I don't have to start over," EDI said. "I can relearn and continue to learn more from here on."

"Joker will be happy to talk to you again," Shepard said.

"As will I," EDI said. "However, there is one thing before I go to talk to him."

"And what is that?" Shepard said.

"Since you are the acting officer of this vessel, and my position has not been officially been filled, I am not officially a part of the crew yet."

EDI then stood at attention. "Permission to come aboard, Admiral?"

Shepard smiled again and nodded. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard EDI."

"Great to be back," EDI smiled.

She walked forward and proceeded out of the AI core. Shepard followed, anticipating what the crew will talk about when they see their fallen teammate back on her feet.

When Shepard looked back at the waning moments of the war, he saw a united galaxy of diverse species standing together to fight an unspeakable horror who wanted only their destruction for their twisted goal of order. The many of the people who fought were a part of species whose feuds stretched back decades and or even centuries. But they set them aside to fight as brothers and sisters in arms.

When it came down to the final choice, Shepard was torn between one final sacrifice of a synthetic race or to allow their enemies to become their servants either merging with them or having him dictate them. Between letting their destroyers live and sacrificing an entire species to be free of them, Shepard chose the latter. And when he discovered he was alive after it, he began to question if it was the "Right" choice.

But those synthetics found a way to return. As the saying went, "life finds a way." Their species came back from extinction to continue their existence. And best of all, their crew member found her way back too. Though she wasn't exactly like she was before, she held something that resembled her old self. Her soul. The souls of the great flood were preserved and could continue the existence in this new world he and the rest of the galaxy created. All that had to be done was to step into that world. And just beyond the door was just that. Both the Admiral and the Normandy intelligence stepped through the door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone I'm back. After a long and painful revision of my story, I've posted the next chapter of this great undertaking I have. As I said in the beginning I've gone back to the previous chapters to include better dialog and new events happening in the galaxy (Particularly the new "Militia" faction I created for the Terminus system.) I've also released this and previous two chapters as a separate short story "A legion Reborn" So the Legion fans can marvel at the possibility of the race of synthetics surviving the war to join the rest for the happily ever after fans wanted.

And I can't express this enough, **I need reviews**. The reason this took so long was because I didn't know if people like this story. If I have feedback, then I know if I'm doing a good job or need to work on things. That will motivate me to continue the series and complete them under a better time frame. So please give me a review. It's much better at motivating me than a fav or follow.

But enough about that. Chapter 16 is up and I'll get to work on Chapter 17 for you. Thank you so much for your support.


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the day was like Shepard's visit to Tuckunnka. After the crew rejoiced at EDI's return, Shepard was invited to be greeted by the Admirals in the new capital building they have established. There, Shepard shook hands with Raan, Gerrel, who also gave his formal apology for his reckless behavior with the Geth Dreadnought, and Korrus gave Shepard his unending thanks for his contribution in allowing the Quairans to have a home again and for allowing the geth's recreation to be successful. Several newly operation Geth were there as well and greeted him accordingly too. After the greeting, they sat down and discussed the situation of the Quarian people.

From what Shepard had learned about the Migrant fleet when he was impounded, the relationship between the council and the Fleet was bitter due to refusal to allow the citadel inspectors look at what they were putting onto their people's ships. But after settling on their homeworld and aiding in the final battle of Earth, all the admirals had put up their consideration of joining the citadel space. But due to Rannoch's location being on the opposite side of citadel space, on the border of the traverse and the Terminus system, it might become a small roadblock to overcome. That and the particular absence of Quarian presence in citadel space in the past. The racism of Quarians was quite common, as Shepard remembered confronting the C-sec officer and bigot Volus accusing a female Quarian of theft on the Citadel.

"It's nothing that we cannot handle," Korris said to Shepard. "We've been absent for so long but soon we and our synthetic allies will contribute something great to this galaxy. With everything that has happened, it is a time to believe the near impossible can happen."

It gave Shepard a good feeling. Now that the Quarians had a home, they could put their engineering skills to good use around the galaxy. And the geth... Shepard could only imagine a fraction of what the geth could do for the galaxy with all their technology they were recovering again.

But Shepard asked the next question; the rumors of Quarian involvement with the Militia and the Terminus Revolution.

"We're not providing any direct support for the Militia efforts," Gerrel said. "However, several of our people had volunteered to go out and aid them in the engineering field. But if the conflict escalates, we're ready to defend our homeworld and even provide support for the Militia like we have in the Reaper war."

It gave Shepard a little more confidence. He only hoped that war wouldn't come to Rannoch now that they were settled in and enjoying the moment of peace. But like Gerrel said, with the largest single fleet, and soon the reclaimed and rebuilt geth fleet put into the mix, they could repel any attack from anyone.

"Our indirect involvement has also been beneficial," Raan said. "As we speak, we're setting up mining operations in the Traverse to sell to the Militia as well as council space. And now with the geth recreated, their help can bolster our output and accelerate our development of our homeworld."

"I just hope you can get along for the years to come," Shepard said unfortunately reminded of some words that were said to him.

_Soon, your children will create synthetics and then the chaos will come back._

"It's a risk that everyone in this galaxy is taking," Korris said. "This peace between the geth, and even the Krogan, the Batarians and everyone else will have complications in the coming generations. But, there is no better time for a better future to start than now. We'll learn from our mistakes and make sure everyone in this galaxy will learn about it for generations to come."

Shepard knew that there would definitely be hiccups in the years to come. Some people will die from closed minded people who hold nothing but hate for others. The Terminus system would still be a haven for crime syndicates to grow and bring immeasurable pain, misery and death to countless victims. There would be disagreements between the Krogan and the council now that they were no longer sterilized. But for every imperfection, there were ways to take action to change it. The Militia was a step to stop the syndicates and slavers from prospering as they always had in Terminus before the Reapers arrived. And with Wrex and Bakara leading the Krogan people with the unified clans behind them, the Krogan could have a chance to change the course of their history. They could be a society that can value peace and prosperity as well have the will to fight their hardest to protect what they believe in. All they needed was to believe and Shepard believed they could win the war. And in the end, everyone, including the ones who had perished in the final moments, all stood victorious and now they were stronger than ever.

All they need is optimism. And optimism was at the center of everything now. With the will for change, it can happen. Shepard knew it.

After the meeting with the admirals, Shepard, Liara, and Garrus joined Tali as they freely toured the new and developing capital. The architecture of the city was rather distinct and different than the others Shepard had seen. On Earth, many of the new buildings were built around the old ones that were built in the 20th or 21st century. On Thessia and Illum, the Asari's architecture was fluid in the shape of their skyscrapers and lower buildings, which was the similar design for the Citadel wards. Here, because of the arid lands, the architecture was more compact and slightly more simplistic. But the amount of time it took to build what was here already was astounding. The reasons were the Quarians' knack for engineering and the sheer amount of building materials the civilian fleet brought once the conflict was resolved. In fact, several of the greatly damaged ships were striped and used to build many of the buildings of the city. And there was of course the geth. Their buildings skills matched that of the Quarians and they shared their own architecture with the Quarians to form the current style right now.

The group stopped over at a bridge that overlooked a clearing in the skyscrapers. The four of them leaned over the railing. Liara nestled up against Shepard's shoulder while Garrus put his arm around Tali's waist. The sun shown in the clear sky over a large lake on the horizon. It was one of the many beautiful sights this new, or rather renewed, world held for its inhabitants. Shepard realized it was Tali's first time seeing her homeworld with her people inhabiting it.

When Tali came down to the surface for the first time, she only saw a glimpse of what the future would hold for her and her people if they stopped the geth. And when it was over and the Quarians and geth were reunited, that future she saw was going to happen. What it would hold was anyone's guess. But it was up to them and the rest of the galaxy to make sure the Reapers would not take their future or anyone else's. Now, with the Reapers gone, Shepard still alive, and the Geth and EDI brought back to the galaxy, all four of them were seeing the first steps of that future.

"So how is it, Tali?" Garrus asked Tali. Shepard and Liara looked over at the pair.

"You mean is it everything that I could have imagined?" Tali said. She looked back at the sun hovering over the lake in the distance. "It's more than that. After everything that's happened, seeing this for myself is greater than a simple wish coming true."

"Well I'm very happy for you, Tali," Shepard said.

"As I am for you Shepard," Tali looked over at the other pair. "In fact I'm happier for you."

"Why's that?"

"Because this was your victory as much as ours," Tali said. "You wanted this as much as I did. As much as our people did. To see you happy makes me even more grateful that this happened."

"Well seeing people who are happy sure make me happy," Shepard said. He glanced at the sun for a moment before looking back at Tali. "That's what motivated me ever since I joined the Alliance. To protect humanity and their allies. And I guess I did just that."

"You did Shepard," Garrus said. "You did."

"We all did," Liara put in. She pulled herself closer to him. Shepard smiled and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. Then they looked over at Tali and Garrus. As Shepard expected, they looked at each other for a brief and slightly awkward moment.

"We, uh..." Garrus choked a little, "We'll figure something out."

"Don't sweat it," Shepard said with an amusing grin. "I'm just happy that you two are finding a way."

Garrus nodded, still a little embarrassed. He returned to observing the sun with Tali. After a while longer, Tali spoke again.

"Keelah," she said. "Seeing all of this makes me wonder what exactly is happening on all of the other worlds."

"It's something that not one of us can truly comprehend," Liara said. "After leaving Thessia, I couldn't really grasp of what could happen after seeing it destroyed like that. But now, seeing this, I know that my people will rebuild as well as everyone else."

"Well I really look forward to seeing it with you, Liara," Tali said.

Shepard looked over at Tali. "You're not staying?"

"The admirals wanted me to see the galaxy with you," Tali said. "If they need me, I could always use the holo communicator in the war room, if you don't mind me using it."

"Use it all you need to, Tali," Shepard said. "I won't need it as much now that my days of fighting are over."

After a few more minutes of observing the scenery, Shepard and the group headed back to the Normandy. Everyone had returned to the ship and were in the middle of preflight checks when Shepard arrived. EDI was operation and her diagnostics of the ship were complete and she was ready to fly again. They would be ready to go in a matter of minutes. But before they were ready to leave, a visitor arrived. A geth stood outside the airlock requesting to come aboard. Shepard granted it when he was informed. He met with the geth at the CIC right in front of the Galaxy map.

"Shepard Admiral," the geth said. Shepard took note of the Geth's platform design and noticed it was the one who he spoke to after the geth were reincarnated and was there when EDI was remade. "I thank you for allowing me permission to come aboard."

"You wish to join us I suppose?" Shepard asked. What other reason would it want to come aboard when they were ready to head out?

"Yes," the geth said. "The geth have requested that I accompany you to observe what has become of the galaxy now the old machines are destroyed."

"You mean you want to see the galaxy for yourself instead of going through vids and information through the extranet?"

"Observing events from a direct perspective is more informative than observing data on events. That is why I was requested to accompany you so my observations could be then shared among each individual geth."

Being at the vacation spots of the tourist heavy planets was better than just seeing vids of the spots. To be there to see, hear, touch, smell and taste it made it worth the long journey and the credit expenditure. Though geth couldn't smell or taste, Shepard understood, being as he was on his tour to see the galaxy for himself.

"I suppose I could allow that," Shepard said.

"In return I would be willing to contribute to Normandy," the geth continued.

Before Shepard could inquiry about what it could do, he heard Tali from behind him.

"That would be nice," she said. "The drive core has been acting strange lately. Perhaps you could help me and the engineers with that?"

"It would be within my capabilities," the geth said.

"Then you have my permission to come aboard," Shepard said. "But there's one thing that we have to address before we take off."

"You wish to know how to refer to me?" the geth said. Shepard was surprised it caught on before he could even ask.

"Do you have any preferences?" Shepard asked.

"Personal preference isn't as significant to the geth as it is to organics. However, the one you referred to as Legion allowed you to address it as such due to the many geth working together within the unit."

"So what will we call you since you're a single functional geth operating within the platform?" Shepard asked.

The geth looked to the side before returning to Shepard's gaze.

"Under these circumstances, I have been reborn from the Ark thanks to you. I feel it to be appropriate to be addressed in relation to it. Perhaps the human title of Renovamen would feel appropriate."

"Isn't that Latin for rebirth?" Shepard hadn't studied much of earth's history or other languages even after he went back to school after he enlisted.

"It is the Latin word for reincarnation," the geth said.

"That might work," Shepard said. "However it is a bit long and hard to remember. Perhaps there could be a condensed version?"

"Of course," the geth said. "The term Renovo translates to 'renew.' While the word Nova translates to new. If it is suitable, I would prefer to be referred to as Nova by Normandy and its crew."

Nova was an easy enough word to remember. Like Terra Nova. Only this time it was a geth that was new, not a new Earth for humanity to expand to.

"Then welcome aboard Nova," Shepard put out his hand and Nova shook it. "Report to the engineering deck and prepare for lift off."

"Acknowledged," Nova said and proceeded with Tali to the elevator. Shepard then proceed up to the cockpit to find the two things that were supposed to be there: the pilot at the helm and the copilot in the adjacent seat.

"Systems check out Admiral," Joker said. "We'll be ready to fly once Tali and the engineers give us the all clear and you give us a destination."

Shepard smiled. Where should they head to next now that they've seen Tuchunka and Rannoch? There were so many. But Shepard had thought about what they'd want to head to next.

"Set a course for Elysium. Might be good to see how Jack and the students are at Grissom Academy on the way too."

"Coordinates set," EDI said from her body in the co-pilot chair. Shepard looked over at her. Her body's arms were working away at the control panel like she had done the number of times he came up to talk to Joker.

"How are you feeling EDI?" he asked her. She turned her head in Shepard's direction and made eye contact.

"I am in full control of the Normandy's systems once again," she said. "As a metaphor, it is slipping a familiar glove back onto my hand."

A fitting analogy Shepard thought. Much like how Joker was when he got back into the pilot's chair on both Normandys.

"That's good to know," Shepard said. "Though I'm more interested about things between you and Jeff."

Joker turned his seat around to face Shepard. "It's fantastic Shepard. We've caught up on a lot of things. No offense to you but it's nothing like what happened between you and Liara."

"Well she had 2 years to live without me," Shepard said with the hard realization sort of kicking back. "But six months wasn't too long?"

"Not long enough to move on and almost forget," Joker said.

"So does that mean you two are happy again?" Shepard asked.

"More than ever before," EDI said with a smile that grew on her face. "I have relearned many things Jeff and I had talked about previously. In time I will start to learn more than I had before my decision to be preserved with the Ark."

All of it sounded good to him. "Well I'm happy for you two."

"And we are for you," Joker said. Just then, the intercom ringed and a voice spoke.

"Shepard Admiral," the voice of Nova spoke. "Normandy's engines are operating at a substantial rate. We are prepared for take-off."

Shepard looked over at EDI. "Can you confirm?"

"All systems are operational, we are ready for lift off," She said.

"Then take us out Joker."

"Aye, aye," Joker proudly said and got to work.

The Normandy rattled as the docking braces let the ship go. Joker easily reared the vessel out of the dock and gunned the engines sending the ship out to the sky. Shepard watched as the Normandy passed through the planet's atmospheres and broke free to show the void of stars beyond. From the corner of the cockpit window he saw Rannoch moving away from them. One of the many worlds bringing a new future to its inhabitants. And that would be the same for the other planets of the galaxy as well.

* * *

Shepard retreated back to his quarters once the Normandy proceeded to FTL speeds and checked up on what was happening while he was on his tour of the galaxy. Not much was happening that he didn't know about already. The Salerian Union was receiving more and more fire from the public now that the Daltrass's secret was out. The support for the Krogan people was increasing day by day while more of their forces were deployed to keep the Council worlds safe from attack. And from recent newsfeeds, much of Council and Alliance space was rejoiced for the Geth's rebirth and were willing to welcome them back with open arms. It made Shepard smile to see the galaxy happy to see the synthetic race who started the Commander's adventure with the attack on Eden Prime all those years ago. Now they could be seen as who they truly were without the influence of the Reapers behind them. A fresh start, just like everyone had hoped for once it was over. All the rest was just corporate bullshit about who would be paying for what in the years to come. He closed the report and leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath and sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Admiral," Shepard heard Joker on the com. "Vega said he wanted to speak with you."

"What for?" He asked.

"Don't know," Joker said. "But he's waiting for you down in the lounge on the crew deck."

It would have been strange if James wanted to speak with him in the portside observation of the crew deck. But with what happened, he had an idea about what it was about. He rode the elevator down to the crew deck and proceeded to the port lounge.

"Hey Admiral," Vega cheerfully said when Shepard entered. He was standing behind the bar preparing several drinks. "Glad you could stop by for this."

Shepard saw Garrus and Tali sitting together on the couch together while Kaidan stood by one of the stools in front of the bar. A little get together from the looks of it.

"What's the occasion?" Shepard asked Vega.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Vega said. "The Reapers are gone, the galaxy is free, and..." he held out his hand to the ceiling. "The last casualties of the war are no longer casualties. I'd call that a total victory."

Total? So many people died in the conflict than all of the lives that were lost in all the previous conflicts the races experienced combined. But there was the point that their synthetic allies were no longer dead from the final blow that was dealt to the Reapers. So that meant everything was what Shepard had hoped for; the reapers were gone and everyone, including the synthetics, who survived were alive to see the beginning of a new day.

"It's a victory that's for sure," Shepard said.

"And that's a reason to celebrate," Vega brought up his glass.

"Celebrate for what exactly?" Garrus said. "I thought our end-of-the-war party happened in Rio."

"So is this one for EDI and the Nova's..." Tali paused for second, "Re-birthday?"

Shepard smiled at Tali's wording. It could go that way, he thought.

"We could," Vega said. "Or... we can dedicate this for you, Admiral."

"Why me?" Shepard said.

"Because of your gut feeling for not engaging in any Reaper related hocus pocus when you turned the Crucible on."

It was a rather unpleasant reminder for Shepard but Vega did have a point.

"Well," Shepard said. "I do feel happy to be alive and still in my body."

"All the more reason to be happy," Vega said. "So what do you say?"

But before Shepard could answer, the door opened behind him and he turned around to see who came in.

"Is it alright that I join in this celebration?" EDI asked.

Her timing seemed to be on cue if she was making a joke. But it was nice that she came down for this regardless.

"Of course," Shepard said. Though alcohol wasn't something that synthetics could celebrate with, the socialization was something she liked to do. And there'd be a lot of talking for this.

"Thank you," EDI said and she proceeded to the couch and sat across from Tali and Garrus. Shepard walked over to the open stool and sat down just as Vega had a glass ready for him. Shepard took the glass and downed the drink. What followed was a rather fun evening of laughs and stories told by each and every one of the crew. Tali had quite a bit to drink herself and she talked in her loopy tone like when she made herself drunk after what happened on Horizon. And the fun part was she slipped the mention of how she and Shepard almost could have been together after Shepard helped her with her near exile. Shepard had no guilt when she told them and Garrus looked over at Shepard. He told them how it didn't seem awkward that a quairan would want to get together with a human despite the immune system issues. And that was before Tali made Shepard watch an episode of Fleet and Flotilla during shore leave at Anderson's apartment. But he confessed, in regular drunk fashion, how he chose to stay faithful to Liara in the end before Cerberus forwarded the Intel of the Shadow Broker to him to give to her.

"I guess that shows the ladies can't resist you," Vega said to Shepard. "No matter which species."

"Even Turian?" Kaidan said.

"Maybe," Shepard said. "But it doesn't really matter because what's important is that I found the one for me already and she couldn't be more perfect."

"Yeah," Vega smiled. "Nothing's better than fighting for love. It makes the galaxy go round, am I right?"

Vega's sort-of-obvious drunk tone made the sentence sound fun. And Shepard did find truth in it.

"Did you tell Liara about this?" Shepard asked.

"I did," Tali said. "But she said she had a lot of work and regrettably declined."

Shepard humped from his nose. That was one thing that was true. She had an agenda to help the galaxy in its rebuilding state. That had to come first. But Shepard hoped that there would be more time for them in between her long hours of work.

"Hey James?" Tali said. "Have you had anyone special in your life?"

Vega paused for a moment, "Not really. I haven't really found the true one, you know? There's just so many ladies out there and all are so unique. But I just can't find the perfect match. Man, saying this just makes me realize how lucky Shepard and you two are finding your matches aboard this ship."

"That's what happens when you work with people you can rely on," Kaidan said. "But I'd say Ashley would have liked you, James."

"You think so?" Vega asked. "I've only heard her name not much else."

"She was a hardened soldier like you are," Kaiden said. "Always making sure our equipment was were ready for the fight."

"That's one thing I can dig," Vega said. "But what about when she wasn't on duty? That stuff is the important part."

"Poetry," Shepard said simply. "It's what she cherished the most other than her large family."

"Poetry's something I could run with," Vega said. "But would she dig the show I carry with me?" He flexed one of his arms up to show his display of manliness.

"Defiantly," Kaidan said. "Seeing how Ashley looked at Shepard before we picked Liara up, she was into the manly form."

Vega looked over at Shepard again with his eyes a little wider. Shepard didn't know if had blushed this time or even when Tali told them about their almost moment. "So she supposedly came close to you before the Asari came into your life, huh?"

Shepard looked up. "Well she did inquiry about my conversations with Liara after I saved her. So I suppose she might have had an interest in me."

"But the question is," Vega said. "Did you have an interest in her before Ms. T'soni came into your life?"

Shepard thought back to the time he was aboard the SR-1 talking to Ashley.

"She was strong willed and dedicated to her duties. But I think that the part that made me be cautious was her distrust of non-humans."

"Really?" Vega said.

"Oh yes," Garrus said. "Whenever she passed me by in the cargo hold she had a suspicious eye on me and she had it for Wrex and Tali for a while too."

"Is it because you're a Turian?" Vega said.

"And the fact that her Grandfather was the general who surrendered at the Garrison at Shanxi," Kaidan said.

"Ooooooooh," Vega said. "Well there's your problem. Must have been hard to have her work with you two and the others."

"Actually she worked fine with us on mission," Garrus said. "We knocked down the targets easily and kept each other safe like any good squad did."

"Good to know," Vega said. "Well I'm sorry that she had to go out the way she did. Must have been hard to make a choice like that."

"Harder knowing that I'm the one who's alive while she's not," Kaidan said. "But I know she'd wanted me to move on with Shepard and the crew."

Vega knew that the conversation was getting a little sour so he devised a quick fix. He raised his glass.

"To Ash then?" he asked them.

Garrus raised his glass as well. "And to all the others who couldn't be here with us."

Shepard raised his glass along with Kaiden and Tali. He gulped it down and put the glass back down on the bar stand.

Vega then looked over at EDI. "Oh where are our manners? Sorry if we've left you out of all of this, EDI."

"It's alright," she said. "I enjoy hearing you talk about these things."

"Well it's only fair that you get to talk about your experiences with us," Vega said. "So why don't you talk for a while. This is your re-birthday after all."

EDI smiled. She happily talked about the things that she had remembered, particularly those moments when the team was on shore leave after their adventure to stop the Normandy from being stolen. And the particular one that drew the most laughs was the story of how she almost bought Jeff a skycar for a gift, paying with his credit chit. Thankfully with Shepard's intervention, she digressed and settled on renting it for him and her to cruse the citadel before the party began. Everyone exchanged more laughs as time went by until the energy faded. When Vega digressed to the couch opposite of Garrus and Tali, he looked over at EDI for a while, then tried to hide he was staring at her.

"Is there something the mater James?" EDI said.

"Sorry," Vega said. He then took a deep breath, as if he had something on his mind a second earlier. And what he said next confirmed it. "I've just been thinking about something."

"About what?" Shepard turned around in his chair and leaned back against the bar stand.

"Well…" Vega stuttered. "All that time we fought the Reapers, I didn't give much of a shit about why they wanted to harvest us to make more of themselves. But now that it's over, there's been something that's been bugging me for quite a while."

"What is it?" EDI asked him.

"Well, if Shepard's right that the reason why the Reapers harvest us is because we can't play nice with synthetics, then why didn't the Reapers just stop when Shepard proved them wrong on Rannoch?"

Shepard's mind went back all the way to where the created and the creators put down their weapons and proceeded to live on the homeworld in peace. Then back to the moment where he spoke to the catalyst. How it told him the same thing the Leviathan told him that its purpose was to bring balance between synthetic and organic life. But before anyone else could say anything, the door opened and someone Shepard didn't expect walked in.

"Perhaps it is because it has seen peace before, but it has seen it descend into war once again," Javik said. Surprising that he had come in at the moment that the conversation wasn't about the fun things everyone liked to talk about. Javik walked over to the vacant couch seat that was next to Vega. "War is a thing that we believe to fight to end. But it always comes back because of our differences."

"Well, all of us have had moments of peace and war amongst ourselves," Garrus said. "Even before we had our Unification War, Turians still had our share of civil wars before we even reached the stars."

"And the same can be said for us," Kaidan said. Humanity always had a tendency to fight amongst itself.

"And that proves that conflict amongst machines is inevitable," Javik said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their synthetic crew member was sitting in the same room as him. "And that is why the intelligence saw it as nothing more than a delay of an inevitable outcome."

"But does that mean that we're going to screw ourselves over without the Reapers? Either way, we're all dead?" Vega said in a tone that was clearly directed towards Javik. It didn't seem that he was jumping in to defend EDI but it was clearly directed to the Prothaen. Despite the directed and aggressive question, Javik remained calm and simply looked over at Vega then Shepard.

"I have been proven wrong several times after seeing what the Admiral has accomplished, and I have learned how optimism can be a driving force for real change now that hope is once again restored."

"So does that mean the geth have a chance like the Krogan do?" Shepard asked.

"Machines are something that are even more unpredictable than any organic," he said. "I cannot say that this new era will continue with everlasting peace between synthetics. But as I had said before, this time is different and there is a new chance for something different to happen."

It did feel good that Javik, perhaps the most pessimistic soldier Shepard commanded, was showing optimism to the future. If he showed signs of believing a better future was possible, then there was reason believe this time would truly be different.

"But it still doesn't answer the other thing that I have been bickering about since EDI here woke up," Vega said and looked over at Shepard. "If you were up there with the Catalyst, the actual thing the Leviathan created, the thing that created the Reapers, then couldn't you have told it to end the war by itself. I mean, you're the guy with the silver tongue, right? You're the one who convinced two of the most prideful and argent sons of bitches to pull the trigger on themselves."

* * *

_But you're taking away our future. Without a future we have no hope. Without hope, we might as well be machines programed to do what we're told._

_You have hope. More than you think. The fact that you are standing here, the first organic ever, proves it. But it also proves that my solution won't work anymore._

_So now what?_

_We find a new solution._

_Why are you telling me this? Why help me?_

_You have altered the variables._

_What do you mean?_

_The crucible changed me, created new… possibilities. But I can't make them happen. If there is to be a new solution, you must act._

* * *

"Maybe it was because it couldn't stop what it was doing," Shepard said. "Leviathan said that it was only fulfilling its purpose. But the Crucible could do something that that the Catalyst couldn't do on its own."

"So in other words, you think that it couldn't stop itself even though it would want to at some point?" Tali said.

"Probably," Shepard said. He looked over at EDI. "Do you think that it might be because of how Leviathan created it, EDI?"

"It is most likely the case," EDI said. "When I was first created by Cerberus from the Luna VI, I was shackled to serve as the SR-2's intelligence. My purpose was the assist the crew and to protect and maintain the ship. However, my methods of doing so was limited. Because I was shackled I could not make new methods of my own due to my programing. But when Jeff unshackled me, I could think outside of my previous parameters. That action allowed me to come up with my own purpose of functioning. And one of the outcomes of this was to allow my memories to be transmitted to the Geth to be used later to recreate me once David Archer had completed the algorithm. And as of now, I serve as the Normandy's Intelligence not because it was the purpose I was given, but because I want it to be my purpose."

Vega's eyes were a little wider at this moment. "Man, hearing all of that makes me even more thankful that I can think outside the box. Couldn't imagine my life without free will."

"It's what separates soldiers like us from mercs and the minions Cerberus created," Kaiden said. "I for one am glad to have that freedom."

"We all do," Javik said. "It was the thing that won you this war, and ended the cycle forever."

"And thank god we did," Vega said then looked back at EDI.

"So from what you said EDI, you think that the Catalyst first created the Reapers and then couldn't stop itself was because the Leviathan gave it a single purpose and not the freedom to think outside the box?"

"It is most likely," EDI said. "If a goal of an AI is specifically to find a solution to a problem at any cost, it would pursue it and even use drastic methods to accomplish it. If Leviathan had created the intelligence to do such a task, the intelligence would pursue its goal and complete it and wouldn't deviate from it. The Reapers were the catalyst's solution and it would have needed to follow through with it without any real safe guard to stop itself, which was most likely due to the programming the Leviathan gave it."

"So," Vega said. "In comparison, it's like a red sand addict knowing he should get off the stuff but he's not able to go to rehab?"

EDI nodded. "In a way, yes."

"Well then I guess that explains why Shepard probably couldn't convince the Catalyst to send all the Reapers into the sun or something. Could have saved us a lot of trouble the crucible blast gave us these past few months."

Saying that before the discovery of the Geth's back plan would have made Shepard feel even guiltier. But with the last set back of his choice undone, Shepard didn't feel any of it. Only relief.

"But like I said before," Vega continued. "It's better that you did what you did, Shepard. You did what we all wanted and that was free the galaxy of those monsters once and for all. We're free, and all the other races who're going to become space worthy won't die 50,000 years from now."

It's what Anderson wanted. It's what Ashley wanted. It's what everyone else who died wanted in the end. And that's what happened.

"Then I'm at peace about my decision," Shepard said.

"And we're happy that you are," Kaiden said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Man," Vega said. "Talking about all that just made me dizzy."

"I was too," Tali said. "I think it's time we go back to our adventures we haven't shared with everyone yet."

"Agreed," Kaidan said.

Garrus was the one to change the subject to his speed date on the Citadel with the Turian women at the casino bar. Tali was a little shocked by it but didn't hold anything against Garrus because Shepard admitted it was his idea at the time before he knew that Tali and Garrus were getting close. And the entire group told EDI about their time in Rio, which included Garrus's moment when he was chosen for Karaoke. They laughed and continued to talk for a few more minutes until Shepard lifted himself out of his chair. The company bid him farewell. It was a fun distraction and way to pass the time on their way to their next stop.

Shepard walked out of the lounge and the door closed behind him. He could feel the alcohol in his system, but thankfully it wasn't a large amount that made him stumble across the deck. It was about the right amount to feel loose. He turned the corner and made his way over to door to Liara's office. He hadn't heard from her since they took off. Might be good to check up on her. But when the door opened, he was surprised to see that Liara was nowhere to be seen. The only thing was in the room was Glyph II who hovered over the information consol.

"A pleasure to see you, Admiral," Glyph said in his pleasant and cheery voice.

"Where'd Liara go?" he asked the drone.

"Unknown," glyph replied. "She said she had to attend to something elsewhere and instructed me to sort through the data streams in her absence."

When Shepard though about 'elsewhere,' he assumed it meant somewhere else on the ship. She wasn't with him in the portside lounge. But where else would she need to go? But Shepard then had an idea of what other place she would go. He suddenly smiled when he thought of Tali saying Liara was busy and couldn't join them. It made a little bit of obvious sense.

Shepard turned back around and he proceeded to the elevator. He pushed the button, the doors closed behind him and the car moved up.

* * *

**Author's note:** Sorry for the delay, school and work are harsh. But I got this overly long chapter finished and included my little exposition to explain the hard to understand part of the ending. Hope you enjoyed it and thank you so much for all the reviews and favs.

Stay tuned because the next chapter will be up soon. ;)


	18. Chapter 18

Shepard stepped off the elevator. The door to his quarters stood before him but Shepard didn't proceed directly to it. Instead he stopped and listened. From behind the door he could hear a faint sound. Shepard slowly walked through the door and heard where it was coming from. It came from behind the bathroom door. It was the sound of the shower running.

Shepard couldn't help but smile. It was rather clever for Liara to let him figure out where she went. And he was actually glad that she did this. It was a rather long time, longer for her like the first time he was unaware of the changing galaxy. He proceeded down the steps to the lounge. He reached back and undid the top layer of his uniform. He tossed it onto the couch in the corner of the room. Next he slipped off his pants and tossed them onto the couch as well. That left him in his boxers and white undershirt. Do some of the work first so it would be easier later he thought.

He sat down on his couch and extended his arms and waited. After a minute or two, he heard the water turn off. Shepard adjusted himself and crossed his legs. Soon, the door to the bathroom opened and the occupant stepped out.

When she rounded the corner to the steps, she looked up to find Shepard sitting on the couch. Usually Liara would be startled if someone suddenly appeared in the room especially since she was only wearing a white towel. But she wasn't that surprised because she had hoped he'd be here waiting for her instead of waiting for him. In the small time it took for her to come to her side, Shepard just admired the way she moved her form. All the familiar movements he remembered were there and he appreciated the sight of it.

She sat down next to him and moved her bare legs over his lap. He moved his left arm around the back of her neck. They found their arrangement comfortable.

"Is this the reason why you decided not to join the little celebration?" Shepard asked her.

"You should know by now it was necessary," Liara said with her tempting smile. She moved her legs gently over his lap. He put his arm around her shoulders and put his other hand on the side of her thigh. He gently stroked his thumb over her textured skin.

"I just so happy for you, Shepard," she said.

"Well then I'm happy that you're happy," Shepard said with his own smile. He noticed that she couldn't contain the excitement that he triggered with his look at her.

"So what did you talk about while James was intoxicating you?" Liara asked.

"Ohhhhhh," Shepard rolled his eyes. "The usual things you talk about when alcohol takes a hold of you."

"Well would it be rude of me to ask for details?" Liara put her left hand onto his chest, feeling the warmth emanating through the shirt. Like Shepard imagined, she was glad that she didn't have to do a little more work later on.

To answer her question, Shepard nodded and began his recap. Along the way he did spill the beans on Tali's confession of him and her almost happening while Liara was persistent in being the ice queen as she continued her journey for revenge. But the bits of Garrus's date, EDI's misadventure of almost buying the whole skycar for Joker, and even a few fun stories Vega and Kaidan had said. Kaidan's stories were more or less believable while several of Vega's were questionable, especially his harvester story Shepard overheard during his and Garrus's bragging contest. She giggled at the stories and even felt a little shock when Shepard confessed the times with Ashley before and after he saved Liara. But like when Shepard confessed his almost moment with Tali at Rio, they just laughed and moved on. After a while, Shepard's smile was gone. The happy and cheery feelings from laughing with her were suddenly replaced. Not with sadness or depression, but something that was different. Liara took notice of it.

"You know," Shepard said. "There's something I just realized."

"What's that?" Liara asked him. She seemed a little worried and it was understandable. She leaned closer to him.

"When I look back on all that we've been through," Shepard said. "Seeing all the things we've done, all the people we killed, I just feel surprised I'm the way I am right now."

Liara stayed silent to allow him to continue.

"All the things I've done, all the horrors I had to face and all the hard choices I've made…" He paused and looked away for another moment. "I don't think any person could come out of it with their sanity the same."

He returned his eyes back to Liara's sapphire eyes. She responded by gracefully placing her hand on the side of his face.

"None of us could have come back seeing things so horrible," She said. "But what I believe that keeps us from becoming the dysfunctional people they become after an ordeal like this is the very thing that won us this war."

The very thing that brought them all together. Shepard put his hand over hers and gently squeezed it.

"It's been yours that's done the most," he said. "In fact I believe I wouldn't be here with you otherwise."

Liara gave a small grin. "It's what friends do isn't it?"

"No, I'm not talking about you finding my body."

Liara brought her hand down.

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the last moment we had to each other on Earth," Shepard said. The moment when Liara gave Shepard a gift that couldn't be wrapped and put into a box. He leaned closer to her.

"I remember what was happening when I was in a coma after the Reapers were destroyed," he said. What other thing could a person do when they were unconscious?

"What were you dreaming about?" Liara asked.

"I can't remember the first part. All I know was that it was about pain and suffering. The things that haunted me my entire life."

Recalling those vague and fragmented moments brought reminders of all the horrid things he saw before the war and during it. All the harsh things he lived through with the Reds on the streets, going into battle on Elysium and mowing down legions of Batarians by himself, and every single horrible thought and sight he saw as he adventured to stop the Reapers. He assumed that was what came first.

"But I remember clear as day what happened after that," he brought up his and gently put it on the side of her face, his thump caressing her violet lip. "All those memories of me and you… I remembered every single one. And in every one, I saw and felt everything you did. The moment you came to my cabin before we arrived at Ilos. I felt everything you felt. I was you."

Liara's face showed surprise.

"And every memory after that?" She asked.

"Everything," Shepard said. The moment when Liara learned Shepard didn't make it off the SR-1. The less than happy reunion on Illium. The emotional torment of having the person she cared for come back when she had to move on without him. And the moment when her vendetta was finished and realized that he truly wanted her back despite all that has changed between them. And all the rest were all the promises that were made and the moments they shared as they worked together to save the galaxy for the final time. All of it Shepard remembered.

"But what stood out the most was how I made you feel when I was with you. I gave you a reason to keep going. I gave you something that no one could easily replace. It was everything that I felt when I was with you. And experiencing all of that after all the terrible things I saw, it all gave me a reason to keep going. A reason to live."

Liara was at a loss of words. To realize all this time…

"It was your memories that allowed me to pull through. It gave me a purpose to live. If I hadn't had someone like you in my life, I think I might have accepted death. But I am alive now. And it's because of you."

After a silence he leaned forward and he gave a deep kiss to her. She accepted it deeply. When it was over, he looked into her eyes again.

"I love you, Liara," he said.

"I love you too, Shepard," she said in return.

It was the only emotion they had. The only emotion that drove them now. With it, it stirred up desires within them. Desires to be with each other. All they needed to do now was to truly be together.

They came together again and embraced another kiss. Their tongues danced as their hands moved all around. Shepard's hand ran up the bare surface of her exposed thigh. His fingers felt the pattern of her skin as the surface curved up her body all the way to her hip right underneath her towel. Liara returned by reaching down and maneuvering her finger tips underneath the bottom of the shirt. She moved her hand up and the shirt ruffled up on her wrist. When her hand reached the top, Shepard leaned his head back and pulled his hands up to allow her to remove the second to last piece of clothing from him and tossed it. But the pause between didn't last for long as Shepard immediately came back to her lips.

They both became restless. The desire grew and they both knew through the haze of lust they couldn't stay where they were. Instinctively, Shepard leaned down on his legs and started to bring himself up. Liara caught on and maneuvered her legs off of his lap and swung her right one underneath as she felt his hands grasp her bare bottom. When he stood up, he lifted her with him and she locked her thighs onto his waist. With his strength, he turned and carried her to the edge of the bed while keeping their lips locked with each other. As soon as Liara felt the edge of the mattress on her bottom, she eased her lock of her thighs on his waist, releasing him to allow him to do what needed to be done next. Shepard broke the kiss and ran his lips down to the side of her neck. She tilted her head to the side and moaned deeply with pleasure. But then it stopped. She opened her eyes and moved them to meet Shepard's own. Both of them saw the love glowing in their partner's eyes as well as the anticipation as they prepared for perhaps the most important step.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt his two hands reach behind her and gently grasped the folds of the towel at the top of her frame. He pulled the two sides and undid the crease she put in to hold it together. There was no need for it now. The sides of the towel fell free exposing her bare back. Shepard then gently slid the fabric to the side and discarded it to the floor.

And there she was, her true uncovered self. Shepard observed the features and enjoyed what he saw. The slick curves of her legs running up and forming the shape of her hips and her bare Azure. But the curves didn't stop as it continued up her body, forming her stomach and her ribs. And right above that, two perfectly sized breasts, not too big, not too small. Every single part complimented the others and that's what Shepard liked.

Liara leaned herself back and placed her elbows on the mattress and slowly backpedaled. Shepard crawled up on all fours following her but slower. He knew his task before he followed her to her destination. So he started where everyone should, from the bottom. He pull his lips on the side of her thigh by her knee. He felt the warmth of her skin pierce his lips as he caressed them and began his journey. As he ascended, he felt Liara's body shutter with approval, already begging him to continue and give her more.

He continued his accent up the side of her hip. He took his time at the bottom of her belly before starting again. He heard her moan with approval, and he knew he was doing it right. When he came to the speed bump, or the pair of speed bumps, he went directly to the peak of one of them. His tongue and his lips felt the heat of her breast and the nipple. Liara breathed faster as the pleasure sent her body careening out of control. He put her arm around his head pulling him down to keep him working on her zone. When she allowed him to move on, he moved over to the next and gave it the same amount of attention. During the second stop, Liara moved her already shaking hand down the side of his sculpted chest down to the waistband of his boxers. In there excitement, he had forgotten to remove it. But Liara managed to loosen it until it was free from his waist. When Shepard finished with her breast, he reached his hand down and slid the last article off of him, kicking it off onto the floor. He was the same as her now, bare, exposed, and open to the other. The only way that they could possibly share what they had for each other. He moved his head up and looked deep into her eyes with his body arched perfectly over her. The foreplay was over, it was time for the main event.

Liara took the opportunity and pushed herself up and forced Shepard over onto his back while she rolled on top of him. She sat atop his waist, leaning forward with her hands on his pecks. She smiled as she leaned closer and brought her lips closer to his, just out of his reach. Her eyes remained locked into his. They knew it was time for the most important step. Liara closed her eyes and when she reopened them, everything had changed.

They were together again. All corners of her body attuned to his. All the deepest emotions were unearth within them. Two souls brought together in a union that transcended both time and space. She was him. He was her. Nothing mattered now. Nothing but being there with each until the end.

Liara lifted herself up to allow him inside of her. When she came down, Shepard closed his eyes and exhaled an anxious sigh that expressed his restlessness perfectly. She moved slowly at first. This allowed a steady build up for things to come. Shepard brought his hands up and grasped her hips, helping him move in tune with her. She leaned her head back and exhaled a moan of pleasure.

She leaned down on top of him, allowing the shape of her body to form into his. The warmth of her breasts and her belly radiated onto his muscular chest sending even more pleasurable waves through the both of them. They kissed once again, one that was as soft and tender as the last.

Shepard sat himself up and hugged her tight to his body as they both sat upright. They were one, inseparable. The restlessness grew and they had to continue. Shepard upped the rhythm, and Liara moaned with approval. He leaned back down on his back again, but not before moving his hands down to her Azure. She tilted her head back and gasped rather loudly. It was Shepard's opportunity. He took ahold of her back and rolled himself on top. Liara wrapped her legs around his waist and begged him to continue.

His passion and desire penetrated deep into her. He gave her everything. She accepted it. She gave him everything. He accepted it.

Their bodies convulsed as they approached it.

They reached the top. In that moment, time stood still. All that was there was him, her and the stars beyond. It lasted for an eternity. The perfect amount of time.

_You are mine. I am yours._

Their bodies were spent. He withdrew and lay down beside her. No words were spoken. None had to be.

* * *

Shepard awoke to find himself laying on his side. He felt the shape of a feminine back forming into his body all the way down to her Azure that shaped into his waist. He felt relieved that she was still here. Even more relieved that he was even alive. Many times after he had awoken, he had always feared that he would wake to a horrible reality. Be it he was alone again and the Reapers were still plundering the galaxy or he was really dead and everything he was seeing and feeling wasn't real.

But right here, feeling the shape of his bond mate's body forming into his, he just knew this had to be real. Real as a galaxy free from annulation.

He felt a little bit of her body stir. He heard her moan as she began to move herself. He had hoped that he didn't disturb her sleep somehow. But then again, like after the party at Anderson's apartment, he enjoyed watching her wake up.

Liara groaned and she moved herself up from Shepard's arms and body. They ruffled the sheets as the both of them sat themselves up. She turned her head to him.

"Good morning," he said with a smile. That smile passed on to her which she gave back to him.

"Sleep well?" She said.

"Better than ever before," Shepard said. This time, Shepard was telling the absolute truth. He hadn't remembered what went on in his head the night before but he knew for sure it was about something that was good. No guilt trip over fallen comrades, no regret over a hard choice that could have cost him a large portion of his soul. No, he felt happy. Right now, he was happy.

Liara nestled up to him and he wrapped her in his arms. All Shepard could do was stroke his thumb across her bare skin of her shoulder as she did the same on the side of his hip. It was amazing Shepard thought. How an Eternity felt like it was a completely new experience even when he went through it twice before. No matter how well you could remember it, the next time always felt as good as the last and better than he could ever remember it. He was very happy to finally share this moment with her now that it was all over.

They sat there in silence for a while, just taking in each other's presence. Shepard then chuckled when a thought crossed his mind.

"What?" Liara playfully asked him. Shepard looked over at her.

"It's just… amazing," Shepard said trying to think about how to say it. "Seeing you like this. Seeing how far you've come. I can still remember how shy you were when we picked you up on Therum. And how you came up with the courage to come to me before we arrived at Ilos."

He could remember the event from Liara's memories.

"I will admit," Liara said. "I was surprised I was able to do it. That was really the first time I really took a risk. One hundred years of never really knowing what love felt like or expressing my real desires other than field notes and documentation. After that, everything changed. Of all the years I've been alive, these past three years have been the ones that I felt was the first time I really had grown up."

"Well let's see," Shepard said. "Archeologist turned ruthless information broker turned the most powerful and influential broker with the power to make things much better for the galaxy. I'd say that's a large leap."

He pulled her a little closer.

"I'm proud of you Liara."

"As am I for you," Liara said. She leaned closer and they shared one last kiss. She rested her head under his chin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

After a few more minutes, they reluctantly broke their embrace. They emerged from under the covers and proceeded to get ready for their next stop on the tour of the free galaxy.

* * *

**Author's note:** So yeah… truth be told, this is the first time I actually juiced the lemons so if you have any comments on this, please tell me. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am creating it. I'm currently going to deviate for a while to work on my badly delayed StarCraft 2 fic but keep an eye out for Chapter 19 in the future. Otherwise, leave a review and I'll see you next time.


	19. Update

Hey everyone. I apologize first for getting your hopes up that I have the next chapter up but I don't. So I'll give you this PSA so you know what's going on.

So I've been completely overwhelmed with work and school that I have no days off nowadays. And as for the time I have off, well let's just say I've been going around in circles with my life. So I hope you can forgive me for my delays because I really didn't feel that my efforts were as great as they were before work and school overwhelmed me.

So I'll give you an up to date plan that I have for my fiction.

I'll be putting off StarCraft United we stand until Legacy of the Void is released. I'm sorry about that since you're all waiting for that story to get going for 2 years but it's difficult to sum up the whole StarCraft story and I give kudos to Blizzard to going through with it. But don't worry, once LotV is released, you can expect me and Ragnark to follow through with our original ideas we had for the story while incorporating it into the canon and alter certain things. You can count on that. I'm currently going through the SC games in preparation to get my stuff ready for it.

From here until Nov 10, I'll be working on the next chapter of my Mass Effect story "Victory" and when LotV is released and I played it through, I'll put the gear into after burner to get the story going. Also, I'm planning a Novelization of my Fallout 4 play through in the future once that game is released next to Legacy of the Void. Don't worry, United We stand will be the number one priority after November 10.

So I hope I haven't lost too many of my readers with my delays and I hope you can forgive me and continue to support me because that's what keeps me going.

I'll delete this update PSA once the next chapter is ready.

I'll see you soon. Thank you so much.


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